Rookie batsman Beckford replaces Blackwood in Scorpions squad

Tue, Apr 9, '24

 

HOUGH thrilled at the prospect of making his senior team debut, former Jamaica youth batsman Justin Beckford says he is aware that a greater degree of focus will be required to be successful in first class cricket.

Beckford, a former national age-group captain who also represented the West Indies Under-19s, is among the 13-member Jamaica Scorpions squad selected for the sixth-round regional four-day match against title-holders Guyana Harpy Eagles. The contest is set for Sabina Park, starting Wednesday.

“The feeling is a special one; I’m very excited to have the chance, not just to represent my country but [to] represent all the persons who believed in me. All in all, I have been dreaming of this moment and the Lord is faithful,” the 19-year-old Lucas Cricket Club player told the Jamaica Observer.

The selection of Beckford comes as out-of-favour West Indies batsman Jermaine Blackwood is left out of the Scorpions squad after an abysmal run in the regional four-day tournament. The 32-year-old Blackwood, a former Test vice-captain and a cornerstone of Jamaica’s batting since his first class debut in 2012, has a top score of 27 in nine innings this season.

In drawing a comparison to what he has experienced at the youth and club levels, Beckford said he expects “much more consistency” from opposing players in all departments of first class cricket.

Read more at Jamaica Observer

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