Hamilton hails Permaul’s presence on Sagicor HPC tour

(WICB) DHAKA, Bangladesh – Jahmar Hamilton said Veerasammy Permaul was a welcomed presence on the Sagicor High Performance Centre team’s tour of Bangladesh, and he was enjoying the experience of keeping wicket to him.

Left-arm spinner Permaul earned the Man-of-the-Match award for the second straight game, sharing eight wickets with left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cotterrell to bowl the Sagicor HPC to a 53-run victory over Bangladesh-A in the second match of their One-day series on Sunday.

Permaul was the pick of the bowlers with 4-33 from 10 overs and Cotterrell grabbed 4-40 from nine overs, as the hosts, chasing 235 for victory, were bowled out for 181 in 43 overs at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, despite a top score of 69 from Shahriar Nafees.

The result meant that the visitors took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

“We could not have asked for anything better in this match, after Sheldon gave a great start, getting a wicket in the first over,” wicketkeeper/batsman Hamilton told WICB Media.

“After they started to score quickly, Permaul came on to bowl and tightened things up a bit, so it was good to have someone with his experience at that stage.”

The 22-year-old Hamilton added: “He is the incumbent West Indies A-Team captain and he has a lot of experience with field settings, but he also a proven player.

“He always says, ‘he outsmarts the batsman’. It has been a joy watching him do his thing from behind the stumps.”

Permaul graduated last year with the first squad of players that attended the Sagicor HPC.

The Guyanese was elevated to A-Team captain earlier this year, leading a highly successful side in a home series against a very competitive India-A.

He was added to the Sagicor HPC side, following the selection of batsman Johnson Charles on the senior West Indies squad for the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament taking place in Sri Lanka.

“Keeping to him for the time, it was alright,” said Hamilton. “He is a very clever bowler, and so you have to be always prepared for something surprising. Most of the time, I get it.

“We haven’t worked on any signals. I guess he just backs me to pick up what delivery he is about to bowl.”

Reports indicate that the pitches have been difficult and Hamilton has reportedly done a commendable job behind the stumps.

He said the new challenges created by the unpredictable pitches on the tour have helped him to tighten up his game.

“My ‘keeping has improved a lot,” he said. “I did some training with [former Barbados captain and West Indies wicketkeeper now selector] Courtney Browne and I have also being doing a couple drills by myself before coming on this tour.

“I really want to improve my keeping because I know if it improves, so will my batting. It is just for me to stay focussed, keep the number of byes down, and encourage my teammates.

“It has been difficult and I have been hit a couple of times on the helmet. It was a bit difficult at the start of the tour, but it has become easier.”

Hamilton said he was looking to improve his all-round game to secure a place in the Leeward Islands side on a consistent basis.

He has played 16 Regional 4Day, 10 Regional Super50, and five Caribbean Twenty20 matches for Leewards since his debut four years ago.

Hamilton gave evidence of his ability with the bat, hitting the top score of 49, as the Sagicor HPC team were dismissed for 234 in 49.5 overs, after they decided to bat.

“I just went out there and played each ball on its merit,” he said. “I didn’t rush anything because I know that I am a very crucial player coming down to the end of the innings, so I just went out there and took my time.

“Attending the Sagicor HPC has helped me to improve my confidence and has helped me to improve my technique, so I think it is going well and will help me to cement my place in the Leeward Islands squad.”

With the series wrapped up, Hamilton said the players were inevitably thinking about sweeping the series to continue justifying the hard work which they have been putting in.

“The guys will be looking to go 3-0, but they will want to remain positive, and do the basics correctly,” he said.

“We are very happy with the result. We have been working very hard over the past few months in Barbados and we are seeing that it is paying off for us right now.”