ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Marquee seamer Kemar Roach said Saturday the surprise omission of icons Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad had given West Indies an important boost ahead of their upcoming three-Test series against England but warned the tourists still carried a massive threat.

Anderson and Broad, the most decorated seamers in England history with 1,177 Test wickets between them, were both snubbed for the March 8-28 tour as England selectors revamped the squad following the recent Ashes disaster.

While Roach said their absence would leave “a hole” in the England attack, he underscored the danger still posed by the fast-bowling trio of Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes.

“[Their omission was] quite surprising. I thought definitely both of them would be still involved but the decisions have been made from that end,” Roach told a media conference on Saturday, ahead of Tuesday’s start of the opening Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.

“I think it’s a slight advantage for us. With those experienced players missing it leaves a little bit of a hole for England to fill.

“I think Robinson, Wood and Woakes are still fantastic bowlers — we take them seriously — but once we get our plans right, we should be good going into the series — getting a good start and then taking it further on.”

Roach will spearhead a relatively inexperienced West Indies attack that also comprises fellow pacers Alzarri Joseph, Jason Holder and rookie Trinidadians Jayden Seales and Anderson Phillip.

Much of the responsibility will fall on Roach’s shoulders, the 33-year-old having already taken 231 wickets from 68 Tests to find himself eighth on the all-time list of West Indies wicket-takers in the longest format.

He was outstanding on England’s last tour of the Caribbean three years ago, claiming 18 wickets at just under 14 apiece, to help West Indies storm to a shock 2-1 win in the three-Test series.

And Roach, who has taken 50 wickets in 13 Tests against England overall, said he was already champing at the bit for the upcoming battle.

“Obviously for me, England is our biggest series. We play the most Test matches against England, having three [in each series],” Roach explained.

“At home you go with that confidence factor into the series and you want to perform well, especially against England. For me I’m always looking to go hard and obviously put my best performance out against the Pommes.”

He continued: “I always put my best foot forward for West Indies and as I said, playing against England is definitely one of the hallmarks of my career. It’s all about going out there, expressing yourself, being positive and taking it to the English.

“There have been good battles over the years, even before [I came along]. So, it’s about continuing that tradition and obviously keep playing good cricket against the English players and just keeping your name out there, and just being that person to win a series or be the defining player in the series to take West Indies over the line and win.”

Roach enjoyed an outstanding campaign with English county Surrey last year, when he nabbed 22 wickets from five matches at an average of 20.

While there, he rubbed shoulders with a few current members of the current England squad like batsman Ollie Pope and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, and said the stint had allowed him to gather important knowledge which could be used in coming weeks.

“I loved playing for Surrey. I enjoyed a really fantastic stint last year and it’s given me an idea of some of the guys play, with Pope obviously a very big contender when it comes to Surrey cricket and county cricket,” said Roach.

“Foakes was a part of the team as well so I’ve got some ideas of what they like and what they don’t like, and it will be a good little challenge coming up against those guys in an international series so I’m looking forward to that challenge.

“But I’ve had some fantastic memories at Surrey last season so hopefully I can use some of those great memories in this series.”