DIRECTOR of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and Chairman of the Barbados Pride cricket franchise, Conde Riley, urges Guyanese fast bowler Ronsford Beaton to concentrate more on the longer format of the game.Riley is of the opinion that the 24-year-old is too promising to only play the shorter format of the game.
Riley made the comments during his feature address at the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) 2016 Awards ceremony last Thursday night at the Umana Yana.
“I’d like to urge Mr Beaton to concentrate more on the longer format of the game where he will build his stamina and fitness and go on to represent the West Indies if he so desires.
“I certainly believe that he is too promising to only play the shorter format. He was our leading fast bowler four years ago at the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand when we reached the semi-finals. He must give back more to the region and Guyana,” Riley said.
Having shown great aggression and hostility during his admirable career so far, many feel he already has the potential to don the prestigious maroon colours, but the West Indies A team pacer who has played 33 First-class games since his debut against the England Lions in 2011, was overlooked as part of the Guyana Jaguars first-choice plans for the 2016/17 Professional season.
However, after being ignored, Beaton was a part of the West Indies ‘A’ team which travelled to Sri Lanka back in October last year to play in an unofficial Test and ODI tournaments.
He regained some confidence and form during the tour, returning figures of; 3-26, 2-41, and 2-38 in the 50-over format, before being called up to play for the Dhaka Dynamites in the fourth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
With 64 First-class wickets, Beaton, who was among a squad of 14 young players who received training at the Sagicor High Performance Centre (HPC) for the 2013-14 programme, is part of the Leeward Islands Hurricanes 20-man squad preparing for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Super50 competition scheduled to start later this month.
