Motie to return to Test line-up after illness
BIRMINGHAM, England (CMC) — Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie said he was over his illness and was focused on helping West Indies get over the finish line against hosts England in the third and final Test of the current Richards-Botham Trophy Series, starting on Friday at Edgbaston.
The 29-year-old Guyanese withdrew on the morning of the first day in the second Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham when he woke up feeling ill, and he was replaced by compatriot, off-spinner Kevin Sinclair, for the match, which the Caribbean side lost by 241 runs inside four days to trail 2-0 in the series.
Motie said he was feeling way better thanks to modern medicine, including a well-known brand of cough drops, and he was disappointed he could not take his place in the side after a notable performance in the first Test at Lord’s that West Indies also lost by an innings and 114 runs inside three days.
“I was just playing my role in the team to give the fast bowlers a break and get wickets — and I did exactly that,” he said about his bowling in the first Test when he also picked up the scalps of England master batsman Joe Root and Captain Ben Stokes.
“I really enjoyed that,” he said about dismissing Root and Stokes. “I think so far in my career they are the two biggest wickets to my name.
“We all know how good they are. I put in a lot of work heading into the Test match, and I was happy with the success that I have so far.”
Motie has taken 24 wickets at 20.83 apiece in six Tests that he has played and has offered Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite an option for control when run scoring gets out of hand — like it did during the second Test — and he is likely to play in the coming match.
“I am really looking forward to this Test,” he said. “I know we have already lost the series, but there are a lot of reason that I am looking forward to this Test.
“There is still the World Test Championship we have to think about. We could gain points and see how far we can move up the table.”
He said: “I put in a lot of work after the Twenty20 World Cup heading into the first Test, and it is good that the ball is still coming out of my hand well.
“Right now, we are looking at it one game at a time. We have this next game [at Edgbaston] and that is my focus, so we will try to go out there, and give it our best shot.”
