According the West Indies Under 19 coach Floyd Reifer, at just 17-years-old Guyanese fast bowler Isai Thorne is already clocking 83 miles per hour.
Thorne and fellow Guyanese Matthew Nandu are representing the West Indies at the ICC Youth World Cup currently underway.
While Nandu has played in the two matches, played by the West Indies, Thorne is yet to suit up.
Since the West Indies Under 19’s inaugural tour of the United Kingdom in 1970, several young speedsters from the Land of the Majestic Kaieteur Falls have donned the Maroon Cap as West Indies Youth representatives.
However, only three in Colin Stuart, Reon King and Keemo Paul could boast of graduating to the Test Arena.
Today Stabroek Sports will take a look at the others, that represented the Young West Indies team but missed out on test cricket.
The first Guyanese under 19 fast bowler to play for the West Indies U19 team was East Bank’s Sydney Matthews.
Matthews toured the United Kingdom with the Dudnath Ramkissoon-led squad in July-August of 1970.
Two years later Matthews represented the West Indies President’s XI against New Zealand in Jamaica.
Next up was Georgetown Cricket Club’s (GCC) Eion Grant who toured the United Kingdom with the Austin White West Indies U19s in 1978.
Malteenoes’ Ray Joseph was next. Joseph was skipper Marlon Tucker’s leading pacer against the visiting Young England side in January 1980 but did not go on.
Malteenoes’ Colin Stuart however did go on. Stuart, was skipper Ian Bradshaw’s go-to man in the tour of England in August of 1993.
Stuart went on to represent the senior West Indies Team at the Test Level.
GCC’s Reon Dane King was one of the main reasons the Andre Percival-led West Indies U19 team was successful against Young England in the Caribbean in January of 1995.
His 7 for 95 in the Youth Test at his home ground at Bourda was unforgettable.
Not surprisingly King was selected to play test cricket. Before that however, he went to Pakistan and Bangladesh with Gareth Breese-led West Indies U19s in October-November of 1995.
His five-wicket haul after returning to the team after attending his mother’s funeral in Guyana was courageous and heroic and not surprisingly, he would go on to represent the West Indies Senior Team at the Test Level.
East Bank’s Eion Katchay was selected for the 1998 ICC Youth World Cup in South Africa but he and several others were over age.
DCC’s Rayon Thomas of Essequibo, was quick. He toured the United Kingdom with the Brentol Parchment- led West Indies U19 team in August of 2001 while Berbician Keon ‘Buffy’ Joseph was one of skipper Andre Creary’s fast men in the ICC Youth World Cup in New Zealand in 2010.
Joseph represented several West Indies (A) Teams and President’s XI selections.
He is still trying to make the final cut at the Test Level.
Ronsford Beaton of Essequibo was one of the quickest bowlers on show at the ICC Youth World Cup in Australia in 2012. Beaton graduated to the West Indies Senior Team and played a couple of One Day Internationals but his career is at the cross roads because of a suspect bowling action.
Keemo Paul, also from Essequibo, played an integral role when the Shimron Hetmyer-led West Indies under 19 won the ICC Youth World Cup for the first time in 2016.
Paul graduated to the Test Team in 2018.
Ronaldo Ali Mohamed, a fast medium all-rounder was part of the Emmanuel Stewart-led West Indies under 19 Team to the 2018 ICC Youth World Cup in New Zealand. He also did not graduate to the test team.
Let’s rally behind Isai Thorne and hope that after the 2022 ICC Youth World Cup in the Caribbean with the right guidance and self discipline, he will join Messers Stuart, King, and Paul by becoming one of the region’s main stay in the fast bowling arsenal.
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