Questions for...Donavon Pagon

As he continues to rehab a rib injury sustained on the West Indies 'A' tour of England/Canada, Jamaican opener Donovan Jomo Pagon has found a home in the Washington Cricket League (WCL), in the USA.

Pagon, who celebrated his 20th birthday on September 13, is considered a bright prospect among a group of young Caribbean batsmen. Pagon gave notice of his talent when he hit his maiden first-class century in the Busta Cup Series after returning home from New Zealand with the regional Under-19 outfit. In this Q&A feature with CaribbeanCricket.com, Pagon discusses his career to date and his plans for the future...

I got hit in the rib during one of the matches in England. It was diagnosed as a fracture. It is getting better now. The doctors said that I would be out four to six weeks and I feel that it has healed sufficiently. Actually, there is no pain anymore.

Can you confirm that you were picked to play with the UWI team in the Red Stripe Bowl, but had to pull out because of the injury?
No, I wasn't picked. That's not true. I was unavailable because of the injury. They (the authorities) knew that I was out four to six weeks so I was not considered for selection.

You went to England and Canada with the 'A' team with high expectations but things didn't work out too well for you. Would you say what went wrong?
The conditions in England were very difficult, unlike the wickets and the atmosphere in the Caribbean. It was a learning experience for all of us. The biggest challenge was to adjust to the changes. And, as soon as I was settling in, I got injured. It was disappointing.

Can you talk a bit about the conditions in England, in comparison to say Guyana where you had your maiden first class century?
(Smiles) Well, Guyana was a beautiful batting wicket. It's totally different. In England, the ball
moves around a lot and stops sometimes. The bounce is also a lot different so it was a very good learning experience.

There was a lot of talk after that tour about indiscipline in the team? As a member of that team, does it worry to hear your manager and coach talk about the poor discipline among the squad? Can you tell us why they would be so angry about discipline on the tour?
Some people were misinterpreting things, they were really some very minor issues.

What's the highlight of your career to date? Was it that century against Guyana at Bourda, your debut first class game?
Yes, that is definitely the highlight of my career so far. A hundred in my debut first class game. I love playing at Bourda. It is a beautiful place to bat because the pitch is very flat and the outfield fast. Great conditions for batting.

Do you set specific goals from year to year? What's your long term cricket dream?
My long term dream, obviously, is to make the West Indies Test team, and to be a regular member of the Test team. Once I make the team, I want to be at a level where I am performing consistently. It is important to be consistent.

Do you support expansion of the game in the Caribbean?
Yes, I support expansion of the cricket tournament. There are a lot of players who normally wouldn't get to play on their regional teams who are just as good as the players who are selected or just a little below that level. I think the right thing to do is to give those players the opportunity to play. The more exposed the younger players are, the better.

Do you think that playing weekend cricket in the USA is helping or hurting your long term development as a professional cricketer?
The standard (in the USA) is not as high as back home, but during the off-season it's a good thing to come up here and get some practice. It helps us stay sharp. And the standard of play is not really that bad if you look at it...The matting wickets may affect your timing a bit, but it helps if you stick to the basics of watching the ball and stick to playing safe shots.