Williams gets look-in; Sammy back in Windwards team

Vincentian Kesrick Williams’ chequered cricket career is finally hitting some consistency, as he was called up by the Windwards Volcanoes franchise for the Nagico Super-50 overs series, which starts later this month.

He was named on a 14-member team, which also sees the return of former St Lucia, Windward Islands and West Indies captain Darren Sammy, who last played for the Windwards in this format back in 2011.

Williams, a right fast bowler, although having made his first class debut for the Windwards back in 2011, has not featured in nine matches, seven List A matches, but 22 Twenty/20 matches and one 20/20 international for the West Indies.

His entire List A matches have been for the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) and Williams said he is looking forward to giving his best for the Volcanoes.

“It is always good for one to play for your territory… It is a great feeling to be called up by the Windwards Volcanoes,” Williams stated.

His recent rise in the sport came after a good outing with the Jamaica Tallawahs in the 2016 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), when he was his team’s leading wicket taker, with 17 wickets. Williams was third on the list of all bowlers, as the Tallawahs were crowned champions.

He went on to play for the West Indies A in Sri Lanka in the one-day and twenty/20 series versus that country’s A team.

Also, Williams played for the West Indies in the third twenty/20 fixture against Pakistan in the Abu Dhabi and played for the Rajshahi Kings in the Bangladesh Premier League.

But as he shifts his focus to the 50-over game, Williams is looking to help the Windwards Volcanoes lift the title.

Apart from Williams, two other Vincentians, Sunil Ambris and Delorn Johnson, are part of the set-up which is led by Dominican Liam Sebastian.

When the Windwards won the regional 50-over tournament in 2013, Sebastian was at the helm.

The rest of the team is Andre Fletcher, Devon Smith, Tyrone Theophile, Johnson Charles, Kaveem Hodge, Kyle Hope, Audy Alexander, Shane Shillingford and Mervin Matthew.

The Windwards Volcanoes have been placed in Zone A, along with the Leeward Islands Hurricanes, defending champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, the West Indies Under-19s and English County side, Kent Spitfires.

In Zone B are last year’s runners-up Barbados Pride, together with Jamaica Scorpions, Guyana Jaguars, Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners and the ICC Americas team.

The Windwards play their first match on January 25 versus West Indies Under-19s at the Sir Vivian Richards cricket ground in Antigua and Barbuda.

The winners of the RS50 will be awarded the Clive Lloyd Trophy.(RT)