BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Kyle Mayers is glad to be back.
He’s not just back from a career-threatening injury that put him out of the sport for the last year. But he is also back in the Barbados Pride squad for the 2019 Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup.
The ambidextrous all-rounder has been a nomad for the last few seasons, having played in the Super50 Cup for the Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners and Windward Islands Volcanoes over the last few seasons.
He drew on all he knew on Wednesday to spark a Pride revival with a match-winning, maiden List “A” hundred that propelled his side to 255 in 49.5 overs against hosts Leeward Islands in Group A of the Super50 Cup.
A placid Warner Park pitch was the perfect stage for him to tee off and smote nine fours and eight sixes in a dynamic display that lasted 113 balls.
Mayers spoke to CWI Media after he was awarded the Player-of-the-Match prize for his innings and said he wants to give further proof of his batting ability in the remainder of the tournament. . .
On how special it was to score his maiden List “A” hundred:
It was very special. After missing this for a whole year, I had to go home and do therapy on my broken ankle and had to put in the hard yards to come back and make the team. It was not just to make the team, but make it as a top-order batsman to prove to people that I can bat a bit, so this one is special to me.
On playing for the Pride:
It feels good. I had stint with Windward Islands Volcanoes which helped me to be a better player and a better person, so being back home is a plus for me, being back home with my family, and for the team, seeing it is a young squad, so I have brought my experience from playing with the Volcanoes and I am using it here.
On key reason for him batting so well:
I thought patience was the key for me. I have been batting well. In the last two games, I got out too early, so I just decided to give myself enough time to bat as deep into the innings as possible and I knew it would have worked out in the end.
On batting under pressure:
There were no nerves at all. I think we are a good team and we have batting right the way down the order, so there was no reason to panic. I just had to stick my game plan and do the best that I could.
On pitch conditions:
Early up it was a bit slow and hard to manipulate the bowling, rotate the strike and get the ball off you. At the end of it all, it became easier, as you got deeper into your innings and I just tried to maximise the chance after I got stuck in.
On the confidence he draws from his innings:
I was very confident prior to this innings. I don’t want to be over-confident, so I just want to take this innings and build and learn from it and try to be better.
On the key lessons he learnt from his innings:
Stay positive. Back my ability. And be patient.
On how to improve consistency:
I am taking it step by step. I told the coach I felt I should have had another hundred in the previous game, but I learned from the mistake of the previous game, going too early, and leaving too many balls at the back end, so this game I took it a bit further and I got a better result. I felt I could have carried to the end in this game, maybe I could have gotten 150 or so. Lesson learnt. Hopefully, I can execute better in the next game.
On the outcome of the match:
This victory was very important. As we were preaching in the team meeting (on Tuesday), this was a top-of-the-table clash. It was a good game. I thought the Hurricanes played well. They have a good team, so we getting over them at this point is very good. We have them in the next game (on Friday at Conaree), which will be more crucial for us to be able to secure a spot for the next round.
Source: CWI Media
