Seventeen-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Jewel Andrew, who rose to regional and international prominence during the 2024 Under-19 Cricket World Cup held earlier this year, is under no pressure within the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons camp despite a string of low scores in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
This is according to legendary fast bowler and a member of the Falcons’ coach staff, Sir Curtly Ambrose, who said the main objective is keeping the young Antiguan focussed on the task at hand without applying undue pressure.
“He’s gotten a couple of low scores and of course he’s disappointed and any player would, but at the same time we have to let him know that you’re 17 years old and you’re still learning and great players go through periods where they have low scores, so we’re going to keep him focused and he’s going to be okay, he’s in good hands,” he said.
To date, Andrew is the only Falcons player to score a half century in the tournament when he hit seven fours and one six on his way to 50 off 30 deliveries in the team’s opening clash against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots here at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on August 29. Falcons lost the match by one wicket.
In his other appearances at the crease, Andrew posted scores of 10 against the Guyana Amazon Warriors, 48 against Barbados Royals, 15 against St Lucia Kings, two against Trinbago Knight Riders and three against the Patriots.
Sir Curtly said they are not worried about Andrew’s form and believes he will rebound strong.
“Listen, he is only 17 years old and we are not going to put him under any pressure whatsoever. He is a young man, still learning and this is not Under-19 cricket, this is big people cricket if you want to put it that way, so it’s a different level altogether. One thing I can say about him is that he is very confident, he’s a positive young man and we as coaches and players as well are going to make sure we look after him and keep him focused,” he said.
Andrew sits seventh in the batting rankings with 128 runs from six matches.