Walsh Jr aiming for the top

November 09, 2020
West Indies leg spinner Hayden Walsh Jnr (centre) look over video footage after practice with assistant coach Andre Coley (left) and teammate Nkrumah Bonner in New Zealand.
West Indies leg spinner Hayden Walsh Jnr (centre) look over video footage after practice with assistant coach Andre Coley (left) and teammate Nkrumah Bonner in New Zealand.

Right-arm leg spinner Hayden Walsh Jr has set his sights on becoming the premier leg-spinner in world cricket.

The St Croix born cricketer, who also represented the United States at the international level, says he is hoping to be the X-factor when the West Indies take on New Zealand in the upcoming T20 series starting later this month.

Walsh Jr is the only frontline spinner in the West Indies 14-man squad, and the diminutive leg break and googly bowler says he hopes not only to perform well for the regional side but to be at the top of the pile when it comes to slow bowlers around the world.

"I want to be number one in the world as a spinner or bowler. I am working on being the X-factor and that is all I am focusing in on in all my practices. I definitely see myself as the premier leg spinner because I turn the ball and I have a googly, a slider and I just think my variations make me a step ahead", said Walsh Jr.

Putting in a lot of work

Walsh Jr has been putting in a lot of work in the nets working alongside assistant coach Andre Coley as well as bowling coach Ruddy Estwick to try and get the best combination and variations for the cold climate currently in New Zealand.

Having come off a lukewarm Caribbean Premier League where he picked up just seven wickets in the tournament, Wash Jr says he hopes to remain patient and try to get the right formulae heading into the T20 series.

"I haven't been getting a lot of spin off the wickets but once I go forward with my confidence and really do put spin on the ball, I am sure I will be able to pick up a few wickets here and there for the team".

All members of the West Indies team and support staff have cleared the second of their three Covid-19 tests and they will now undergo their final test next week, just before their two-week quarantine ends.

Walsh Jr and the rest of the players and support staff have been lodged at the NZC's High-Performance Centre at Lincoln University, on the outskirts of Christchurch.

The right-hander says he was been passing the downtime in quarantine by doing a lot of painting which he says helps him to stay calm in the mentally stressful bio-secure bubble.

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