West Indian great Lawrence Rowe pulled no punches during a fiery Saturday appearance on iSports with host Andre Errol Baptiste.
Pointing squarely at South African third umpire Adrian Holdstock, Rowe claimed that “questionable umpiring decisions” derailed the West Indies in last week’s opening Test against Australia at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
Key wickets: “Hope and the skipper were not out”
Rowe focused on two flashpoints: the dismissals of Shai Hope and captain Roston Chase while both were “on 40‑odd and looking set.”
“I believe we got a couple of bad decisions, Hope and the skipper. I didn’t think either of them was out. They were batting well… One of them could have gone on to score a hundred. If we had a lead of 70 to 100 runs, things could have been very different.”
Target too tall: The 300‑run mountain
Australia eventually set a fourth‑innings chase of 300, a total Rowe deemed insurmountable on a deteriorating surface.
“Chasing 300 was always going to be difficult on that track. A smaller target would have changed the mindset of the batsmen completely.”
Rowe argued that a victory target of 170–180—possible had those two wickets stood—would have tilted both momentum and psychology in the hosts’ favor.
Praise for the attack, challenge for the batsmen
While frustrated, the Jamaican icon found silver linings in the performance of the bowling unit.
“This squad has talent. I was very impressed with the bowling; they performed extremely well. As for the batting, we have players who can deliver, but some make avoidable mistakes that prove costly. If they harness their abilities and play with greater determination, I believe we can turn things around.”
With the series poised to resume in Grenada, Rowe’s critique doubles as a rallying cry: minimize errors—whether on the field or in the third‑umpire’s booth—and the West Indies can still wrest momentum from the world’s top side.
