'Kemar still owes me about 1.5 Million dollars' - Ricky Ponting comes with cheeky reply for 'Perth' hostility with Roach

Australia and West Indies have made the ongoing Pink ball Test being played at the iconic Gabba, an absolute humdinger. However, more than the Aussies, several cricket experts and fans are gungho about a spirited Caribbean side who fought back incredibly well after they had lost the top order in quick succession. It was a collective fightback batting effort from Kavem Hodge, Joshua Da Silva and debutant Kevin Sinclair, who struck valiant fifties to keep the visitors in the hunt.

Interestingly enough, things didn't pan out any different for the hosts as Australia too lost their top order in quick time as at one stage they were reeling at 54/4. Thereafter, Australia skipper Pat Cummins and Alex Carey struck half-centuries to keep the hosts in the hunt. Amidst all this, one fiery West Indian pacer, immensely impressed the great Australian legend Ricky Ponting. It was none other than the veteran stalwart, Kemar Roach. Consequently, before the start of Day 3 of the Brisbane Pink-ball Test, in a special interview, Roach joined the cricket experts and Ricky Ponting to talk about his bowling in the first innings.

Fascinatingly, Ponting took no time in rolling back the time to acknowledge the lethal pace and bounce of Kemar Roach. The former world champion skipper recalled a renowned Test match which was played in Perth back in the year 2009. Notably, the famous WACA pitch is notoriously world-famous for being the 'fastest pitch' in the world. Ponting, who still has a fresh yet not-so-fond memory etched in the back of his mind regarding Roach's lethal bowling, reminded the West Indian of how he bruised him badly during their encounter on the 22 yards.

Not to forget that during that vicious battle between bat and the ball, Ricky Ponting ended up hurting his elbow when he was batting at just 23 runs and then arrived at number 9 later in Australia's second innings. However, that did not stop the dominant Aussies from sealing the game by 35 runs. But Roach had other ideas and darted back hilariously at Ponting by saying that he could have done better in handling his pace.

Meanwhile, the banter did not just end up there. Ricky Ponting continued further by saying that not only in Perth did Kemar Roach trouble the Australian batting lineup but also in Adelaide he probably bowled faster than most bowlers ever have at the venue. Besides, Ponting did not miss out on sheepishly reminding the West Indian that he still owed him an enormous money as he put in a word to some people in the renowned Indian Premier League (IPL), which surely paved a leeway for the pacer to secure the much sought after IPL contract.

"I have actually said forever, Kemar, he still owes me about 1.5 million dollars because on the back of that (spell), he got picked up in the IPL auction straight after. I remember telling the boys, he actually bowled a faster spell in Adelaide (during that 2009-2010 tour) than Perth," Ponting said recalling the-then-young Roach while interviewing him on Channel 7.

It's just about expressing yourself and have fun: Kemar Roach

Notably, Ricky Ponting was known for being the best puller of the cricket ball of his time. In the same vein, while the banter was on, Ricky Ponting asked Kemar Roach about his thoughts regarding his lethal bowling spell, the West Indian remarked that back then he was quite young and did not possess many skills in terms of the seam and swing, like he currently holds. Hence, being a youngster he preferred to go full throttle against a batter and try to extract extra bounce along with sheer pace to make life harder for any batter out there. Hence, it was all about going out there and enjoying bowling as fast as possible.

"It's just about expressing yourself and being young and have fun," Roach said while taking a cheeky dig at Ponting.

However, not long after the conclusion of Perth's dream bowling, Kemar Roach ended up getting involved in an accident which led him to drop his pace while bowling and focus more on bowling wicket-to-wicket line and length coupled with some seam movement. As of now, with the transition West Indies are going through, Roach has held the mantle to teach young bowlers around him in a bid to bring the old days' glory back for the Caribbean nation.