Ryan Hinds Credits Sobers
Wed, Dec 10, '03
Just days before winning a recall to the West Indies team as replacement for the injured Omari Banks, Ryan Hinds took some time to thank the legendary Sir Garfield Sobers for helping him iron out some technical faults.
According to a report in the Barbados Advocate, Sobers worked with Hinds on some technical issues just days before he scored a century and took nine wickets in spurring BNB Western Blasters to an innings win over PHD Eastern Pirates in the opening round of the second annual Arawak Cement Cup cricket championship last weekend.
The left-handed all-rounder, who has been out of favour with the West Indies selectors since the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, showed a welcome return to form at Brereton as Sherwin Campbell's side triumphed by an innings and 18 runs shortly before tea on the third and final day Saturday.
The 22-year-old hit an even hundred and grabbed match figures of nine for 35 off 22.4 overs including five for ten off nine overs in the second innings. Driving sweetly on both sides of the wicket, Hinds batted for 253 minutes, faced 257 balls and hit nine boundaries as the Blasters totalled 290 all out after dismissing the Pirates for 175. The Pirates fell for 97 in 50 overs in the second innings.
After the match, Hinds told journalist Keith Holder the credit for his improved performance goes directly to Sobers. "I put in a lot of hard work with Sir Garfield Sobers. He showed me a bit with my grip, bat speed, how to use the angle of the bat, balance and positioning. Basically, I put in a lot of hard work and persistence," Hinds said.
"I did not have a good Red Stripe Bowl but I have come back here looking to score a lot of runs in this Arawak Cup. I would like to thank the great man (Sobers) for helping me and also my team-mates in the Arawak Cup. I think they have assisted me well," Hinds added.
Hinds and two other left-handed batsmen -- Grenada's Devon Smith and Guyanese Narsingh Deonarine -- were specially selected by the WICB Chief Cricket Development Officer Dr. Michael Seepersaud for a five-day session at Queen's Park with Sobers, a former Barbados and West Indies captain and the world's greatest ever all-rounder.
Hinds, who captained the West Indies with distinction at the 2000 Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka, made his first-class debut in 1999. He has played in four Tests and 22 One-Day Internationals. His first Test was against Pakistan in Sharjah in the 2001-02 series and his most recent against India in the second match at Chennai on the 2002 tour.
"I am very keen. It's just a matter of going out there and doing the basics, doing them well and scoring runs for my country. That's about it," he said. "It is much easier to get back into your old habits. It's just a matter of me trying to stay focused. It is so easy for people to talk about technique and all of that. As long as you think well and think for long periods, I think everything should be okay."
In 48 first-class matches, Hinds has scored 2135 runs including one hundred and 14 half-centuries at an average of 32.34. He has taken 65 wickets at 25.35 runs each with a best of nine for 68 in the first innings en route to a 15-wicket match haul against the Leeward Islands at Grove Park, Nevis, in 2001.