By Marlon Munroe
Talented and stylish left handed batsman Trevon Griffith contended that while conditions in New Zealand for the ICC Under-19 World Cup were sometimes difficult, it was imperative that he adapt and perform at the top of the order for his team.
However, while his record by the end of the tournament did not do justice to his abounding potential at the top of the order, he said the experience he gained in New Zealand was enriching. Griffith scored a blistering 84 from 67 balls and shared in a 120-run first wicket stand with fellow opener Kraigg Brathwaite (92 not out) in West Indies’ first match against Pakistan.
Griffith, quite an explosive batsman, reported that he and Brathwaite in New Zealand played their natural game and spoke to each other whenever they batted. He said their contrasting styles worked well for the team but he felt if he had gone on to score a century his team would have won.
West Indies (257) eventually lost that match after a middle order collapse by 40 runs as they chased 298 for victory.
Griffith, after that innings, had a horrid time with the bat; he was run out without facing a delivery against Bangladesh, scored five against Papua New Guinea and England in the quarter-final, and made another duck in the semi-final against Pakistan.
“On a tour like that the things I learned will benefit Guyana and my personal development. Going to New Zealand and batting in different conditions was very difficult but I had to adjust and learn as quickly as a youngster coming up because I don’t think that the balls were unplayable, it’s just that I was a bit loose at times,” Griffith pointed out.
When asked how he felt about being rated as one of the batsmen of the future along with Brathwaite, who scored over 300 runs in the tournament, he said that he knows what he is capable of but was somewhat disappointed that he did not do as much afterwards.
Further, he said that if one is playing cricket disappointment comes at some time but that should not keep one down but should be used as motivation to do better.
Griffith also admitted that he experienced some difficulty playing the swinging ball against Sri Lanka and an ill-advised stroke was the result, while also admitting that he threw his wicket away in the match against Papua New Guinea. He indicated that one good score on one of the biggest stages in world cricket was a sign that he should return home and work even harder on his cricket.
He said that his first focus was to perform well in the current Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) three-day first division tournament for his Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) team and hopefully merit a place in the Guyana senior team for the current West Indies Cricket Board regional four-day championships.
“Going out there was a big opportunity playing for West Indies but getting one big score meant that I had to come back to Guyana and work harder on my game and see where I went wrong in the World Cup. I am looking to make Guyana’s senior team and get some big scores in the three-day tournament for my club,” Guyana’s lone centurion in last year’s TCL under-19 three-day tournament stated.
Meanwhile, when Stabroek Sport enquired whether there are any plans in train for the 18-year-old to improve his craft, he said that there were some offers made for him to play in Trinidad & Tobago but he has not given any answers since he feels that he has a good chance of making the local team.
Griffith has been consistent on the local scene for 2009 in all forms of cricket but was not selected in the original 21-man training squad last December although he had been chosen in the WI squad for training.
His WI under-19 teammate pacer Keon Joseph was named in that bunch and has been recalled to Guyana’s squad of 16 for the team’s fifth round encounter against Barbados which is currently underway at Albion.
