By Delvon Mc Ewan
National Under-19 leg spinner Steven Sankar is eyeing a senior call up after four years at the junior level ended with him playing a major role in this country’s double crown honours at the recent West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional U-19 tournament held here.
With over 60 wickets at four youth tournaments, Sankar is optimistic of a bright future at the senior level and he is determined to progress further in the sport.
Sankar is set to play in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Inter-County competition.
In an interview with Stabroek Sport, the 18-year-old said he will be using the tournament to
showcase his talent and hopefully gain selection on the senior team.
The Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) player, who made his senior inter-county debut last year and has captured eight (8) wickets from three matches, said he is looking to better his previous performances at that level.
According to Sankar, he has been working on his bowling grip so he can develop accuracy and control during delivery.
Sankar, who has taken 15 five-wicket hauls to date at Club, Inter-County and National levels, was the joint leading wicket-taker for Guyana in the three-day version of the regional U19 tournament after ending with 15 wickets, the same as Sharaz Ramcharan.
“This was a result of not practicing the basics and trying too much new things,” he told Stabroek Sports.
Sankar was also second for Guyana in the wicket taking list in the limited overs format where he picked up 12 wickets.
His wicket taking ability has always placed him among the top five bowlers at every Regional tournament except for the 2013 Regional-U19 tournament where he was not utilized often.
In his only Regional U-15 tournament he collected 20 wickets finishing behind Barbadian Chad Williams, who took 22 wickets and Ramaal Lewis of Jamaica, who ended with 21 wickets. At the U-17 level he finished second with seven (7) wickets behind Barbadian pacer Jerome Jones, who claimed 14 wickets.
He is also known for providing flair with the bat at the latter part of his team’s innings.
However, he failed to do so during the U-19 tournament except for one occasion when he partnered Kemo Paul for a half-century partnership to rebuild his team’s innings after they had slipped to 60-5.
Sankar praised his teammates and team officials for their collective efforts which resulted in victories for the U-19 team.
He is now shifting his attention towards the Senior Inter-County tournament which will begin soon.
Batsmen, be on notice!
