West Indies pacer Jayden Seales is eager to make a significant impact during the West Indies A team tour of South Africa, viewing it as a crucial step in both his short-term and long-term career plans.
The 22-year-old Trinidad and Tobago native sees this tour as an opportunity to reaffirm his abilities and stake a strong claim for a recall to the senior West Indies side. Seales had faced a career-threatening knee injury that required surgery more than a year ago during the tour of Australia.
He is determined to perform well for the A team, pick up wickets consistently, and maintain pressure on the captain as he strives to secure a spot in the senior Test team during the upcoming tour of Australia next January to February.
“I hope to perform well for the A team and pick up wickets, remain consistent, and maintain pressure for the captain,” he said.
“This is a chance for me to try to get back into the senior Test team, and try to keep myself fit as long as possible and perform for West Indies for a long time.”
Seales was also a member of the T&T Red Force squad that beat Leeward Islands Hurricanes to win the West Indies Super50 Cup on home soil last week and claim an unprecedented 14th title – but he did not play in the final.
He has taken 37 wickets in 10 Tests and became the youngest West Indies bowler to claim a five wickets in a Test against Pakistan two years ago, and he is expected to play an important role with the ball for West Indies A, which is led by his Red Force and senior West Indies Test teammate Joshua Da Silva.
“I am looking forward to playing in South Africa again,” he added. “I have a lot of good memories playing there in the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup three years ago, so I am happy to be playing there again, and I am excited about getting back to playing red-ball matches.
“Some of my [Under-19] teammates are going back to South Africa with me now, so it’s just about rekindling that same energy we had and doing our best for West Indies.”
English county side, Sussex announced this week, the signing of Seales as an overseas bowler for next season.
He had been signed for this year’s season, but he was forced to withdraw because of the knee injury.
He said the last year of rehabilitation after knee surgery was challenging, but he was ready to put that behind him and focus of greater things.
“Rehab was very long,” he said. “The sessions were quite long, but I must say thanks to Cricket West Indies for allowing me to do the surgery in England and working with the physical therapy team in Trinidad.
“The physical therapy team worked with me from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, six days a week during that period, and they got me back to where I am now, and I am just looking to keep improving on my fitness.
“I had days when I was frustrated having to leave home at seven or eight o’clock on mornings, and not coming back home until it was dark in traffic. There were times I didn’t want to go, but I always knew this is where I wanted to be, I wanted to be playing cricket for West Indies again, so I pushed through.
“All of the physiotherapists helped me out too. They spoke to me all the time, because they could see how frustrated I was at times, so thanks to them for keeping on track.”