Many young cricketers often imagine themselves representing their country on the grand stage.
It is no different for 19-year-old Berbice all-rounder, Kevlon Anderson.
When he ventured to South Africa with the West Indies side for the International Cricket Council’s Under-19 World Cup recently, that dream, came true.
“Well I’ll say it was a dream come true. It was a learning curve for me as I look towards the next set-up in my career,” he said after Stabroek Sport caught up with the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club right-hand batsman upon his arrival home.
Anderson finished with the second best average for the Caribbean side with 40.5, scored 162 runs in his five innings with a best of 86 not out against England. Despite his consistent performance, West Indies settled for fifth.
Now that the tournament has finished (Bangladesh emerged champions) Anderson reckons that his unit “played good cricket, winning all three matches in the group stages.”
Reflecting on the tournament Anderson said overall he felt the Caribbean side played good cricket.
“We played as a team, won as a team and lost as a team and I’m sure it was a learning experience not only for me but all the players going forward.”
Anderson, who hails from Number One Village, Corentyne, has been touted as one of, if not the best youth batsman in the Caribbean.
He has represented Guyana at every youth level regional tournament before transitioning to the grand stage- the Under 19 Youth World Cup, the pinnacle of youth cricket.
He had been closely watched by the world in the tournament since captivating the audience with an unbeaten century against Scotland in the warm up match. That was the only ton scored by a West Indian on tour.
The soft-spoken Anderson reflected that it was challenging at first to adapt but with the input of his coaches, the transition was made easier.
“What I would say was the most challenging thing for me is adjusting but the coaches really helped me and I take that away from the tournament so adjusting to any condition as fast as possible is key and a good game plan and sticking to it. I think with this you’ll be successful anywhere,” he said.
The all-rounder added that it was particularly challenging because the pitches were faster as well as the outfields which added to the overall change in environment compared to the Caribbean.
His temperament and understanding of the game has already been hailed by many cricket pundits some of whom want him drafted into the Guyana Jaguars for the West Indies Champion-ships which is currently at the half-way stage.
Anderson has expressed his desire to move on to the First-Class level, stating, “I want to take it one step at a time. For me, the next step I see is breaking into the Four-day team where I can show my worth and hopefully a West Indies `A’ team call up and then senior team.”
