West Indies Chief Selection Committee Chairman Desmond Haynes has been impressed with the performance of newcomer Jayden Seales.
He also believes the 20-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago will be the West Indies’ leading bowler in the upcoming years.
Commenting on the inclusion of several young players in the West Indies ODI squad for the upcoming tours to the Netherlands and Pakistan, Haynes said,
“We also have a very good group of young fast bowlers who have demonstrated their ability and we want to use these two tours to give them opportunities in the 50-overs format.”
And
“We have a week in the Netherlands and another week in Pakistan and this should provide them with quality opposition to bowl against as we build towards the Cricket World Cup in 2023. Phillip has been around for some time, and we know what he can offer, Seales has been very good in Test cricket and Lewis is making a return to the West Indies set-up following some good performances.”
Also commenting to the media, Haynes said that he has been fascinated by Seals since he started his debut show as a teenager last year.
At the age of 19, Seals made his Test debut against South Africa in June last year, taking 27 wickets in seven Tests.
He has yet to play in ODIs and will most likely have that opportunity on the next tour.
“I believe that Jayden looks the part and to me he is someone that I will hope will take on the mantle as our lead fast bowler in Test cricket going forward because I have been really impressed by him from day one.”
And he added,
“Talking to some of the players who would have played with him as well, they think he is someone who can lead our fast bowling. But in 50 overs, we always talk about looking for people who can get wickets early and we believe he is bowling so well that he will do a good job for us in the two tours coming up.”
He added that this is a great opportunity for young players to show their value. He also mentioned about pooran captaincy.
“As a leader he has really handled himself well and I am sure he will do a very good job in leading these young men.”
Haynes also said that the best combination for the 2023 World Cup is still being sought.
“Yes, we are confident the players we select will do the business for us but you have to understand that we are still trying to find the best combination for 2023, so we’re going to give opportunities to players who we believe can play the roles.”
Desmond Haynes acknowledged that Pollard’s lack would be felt a lot. But he believed it could be avoided because there are good young players.
“When you look at Pollard’s contribution on and off the field, I think that he will be missed but we have people like Rovman Powell, Shepherd and even Akeal Hosein who can bat a bit. Yes, we are going to miss Pollard but I believe we have players there who can do the job for us.”