Barbadian opener Kirk Edwards and his young Guyanese counterpart, Trevon Griffith, are both in the country and will meet up with their Jamaica Scorpion teammates today, ahead of the team’s sixth and final West Indies Professional Cricket League trial match at Sabina Park.
The duo, who are at different ends of the spectrum of the West Indies Professional League in terms of experience, were drafted by Jamaica as their two compulsory overseas-based professionals for the championship.
The 30-year-old Edwards, who has represented the West Indies in 17 Tests and has an average of 31.80, including two centuries and eight fifties, was excluded from the list of 15 players contracted by Barbados Pride.
He was the Scorpion’s first overseas pick during the draft held before the summer, and was followed by Griffith, who failed to make the roster of title-holders Guyana Jaguars.
The 24-year-old Griffith, a former West Indies Under-19 representative, has so far made seven regional first-class appearances, managing one fifty for an average of 13.66.
The two will be hoping to impress the national selectors for a starting spot in the Jamaica franchise team, which last season chopped and changed openers to little effect.
Jamaica, former recent five-time back-to-back champions, finished fourth in the six-team tournament last season.
Meanwhile, Edwards and Griffith could be joined by West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Chadwick Walton and former national leg-spinner Akeem Dewar for tomorrow’s final trial match.
Walton, Jamaica’s most prolific batsman towards the end of last season, and Dewar missed the earlier trial matches due to their studies at the University of The West Indies.
They are both hoping to represent Jamaica as pay-per-play players.