Of Athanaze, other young batters and pacers

Fri, Feb 24, '23

Given the fragility of West Indian batting, it is not unreasonable to ask what has taken the 24-year-old Dominican Alick Athanaze so long.

When the diminutive teenager announced himself to the world at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, the only question was when he would be considered ready for Test cricket. Not if.

Back then he topped the tournament's batting aggregate with 418 runs in six innings at the jaw-dropping average of 104.50. As it turned out the West Indies were relegated to the Plate Final, losing to Sri Lanka at that stage, with India triumphant as Under-19 World champions.

Those trailing Athanaze in terms of aggregate at that Under-19 tournament included current Indian stars Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw, and the name now on every lip in English cricket, Harry Brook.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has to take part of the blame for slowing Athanaze's progress, especially since the accursed sickness prevented regional cricket in 2021.