Barbados Tridents’ promising Under-19 player Shemar Springer is relishing the prospect of being a part of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and is excited to learn from some of the best in the business in the process.
Barbados-born Springer was a stand-out performer for the West Indies team which won the International Cricket Council’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup (CWC) title in Bangladesh back in January. He finished fifth in the overall batting rankings, averaging a healthy 57.00 from six innings (including a top score of 106 and two further half-centuries), while he was also his side’s most consistent performer with the ball, taking seven wickets for 162 runs at an economy rate of 4.50.
![Shemar Springer](https://s1.stabroeknews.com/images/2016/06/20160621shemar-springer-267x250.jpg)
He was selected by the coaching set-up following the CPL Draft in February, as the CPL will this year have at least one Under-19 player in each of the six franchises to help develop and encourage the next generation of West Indies stars, and will join a Tridents squad which is headed by experienced coaches Robin Singh and Vasbert Drakes in a squad brimming with talent including, amongst others, South Africa superstar AB de Villiers.
In an exclusive interview with www.cplt20.com, Springer said: “I’m very excited at this point in time. What I really want to do is get some experience from the guys like AB de Villiers, David Wiese and Robin Peterson and see how they operate so I can draft some of their skills into my game. Honestly, if someone had told me last year that I would be a part of the Tridents side, I would have told them that they’re joking! Right now I’m very happy to be a part of this team and I really just want to do well for my Dad.
“It means a lot (to be a Barbados Trident), because we have a lot of history and we’re a team that’s a bit hated, probably because we’re good! But that’s how it is! We just have to go out there and do well. When I’m practicing in the Kensington Oval I just look in the Stand and picture myself in front of many people and I’m going to try and perform the best that I can.
“Those guys (Singh and Drakes) are fantastic coaches. I saw them operating last year, and it will be a great honour to be coached by them. How they operate is just fantastic. I would like for Mr. Vasbert Drakes to show me all the variations, and for Mr. Robin Singh to show me all the shots that I can play for me to help improve my game.” (media@cplt20.com)