By Royston Alkins
National fast bowler Ronsford Beaton, who is the lone Guyanese in the President’s XI team to face England Monday in a warm-up match ahead of the One-Day International Series against West Indies, said that the call-up is a clear indication of his hard work and the execution of solid advice given to him by International stars like South African Hashim Amla and West Indian Dwayne Bravo.
“Getting the call-up in the President’s XI to play against the England team is a good one for me knowing that I was left out of the Guyana team last year, so this call up just proves a lot. You know, I worked hard for it and I’ve been in the gym getting strong in areas that I need to get strong in.”
The right-arm fast-bowler also indicted that he is bowling a lot in the nets and working on a few tricks. He added that the call-up was a big boost for his career moving forward.
Beaton, when asked about a comment from Indian Star Yuvraj Singh, who likened the Guyanese to West Indian great Curtly Ambrose (when he stated that Beaton is the future of West Indies cricket); after he faced him in 2013 during a match between the Caribbean A and India A sides, said that he hasn’t allowed the comment to get to him.
“People will say different things (praises and criticisms) but at the end of the day I still have to go out and do the work.”
The rising fast bowler also cited the opportunities given to him to play alongside a few cricketing greats as one of the reasons for his continued rise.
“Spending time in the dressing room with Amla (Hashim), Bravo (Dwayne) and Brendon (McCullum) just to mention a few, has been a great experience. Getting advice from those great batsmen, despite they are not bowlers, has helped me. You can talk to them and find out different areas where they would have seen different bowlers erred and that can help me improve my game. They have also encouraged me to work hard on my game and to use the gym to get stronger, so that’s what I’ve been doing from since then,” added Beaton.
The speedster also took the opportunity to encourage his fellow Essequibo cricketers: “It has been going on for a long time since we haven’t seen a lot of young Essequibian cricketers coming up and excelling. I just want to say that the guys should continue to work hard and be patient, your time will come.”
The slimly-built fast-bowler has represented the Dhaka Dynamites in the just-concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) where he would rubbed shoulders with a number of international pros. Prior to that, Beaton has represented Trinidad and Tobago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), West Indies A and West Indies Under 19 teams, where he first showed signs of promise on the international scene. His junior playing days, however, was spent representing Guyana before he wasgiven those other opportunities.
Beaton’s show against a world-class England side will gave Caribbean fans a clear indication of where the fast bowler stands in terms of his readiness for international cricket. He is one of the few promising regional fast bowlers in a craft that is dying and once handled with care, he can conjure the kind of nostalgia associated with the West Indian “Fire in Babylon” glory days.
After 25 list-A games, his numbers are improving. To date, he has taken 39 wickets with a best of 4 for 28.
