West Indies fast bowler Ronsford Beaton says he remains reassured even though there are suspicions about the legality of his bowling action an issue which poses a threat to his fledging career.
Beaton recently made his international debut for the Caribbean side during the One Day International leg of their indifferent tour to New Zealand where umpires placed their magnifying glass on the fast bowler’s action.
Beaton was subsequently called and reported for ‘throwing’, pending a test by the International Cricket Council (ICC).The speedster, who is an exciting fast bowling thoroughbred, also endured a side strain injury which ended his tour prematurely.
His injury meant that he was unable to test his bowling action in the stipulated 14-day time frame after being reported, which is mandated by cricket’s world governing body, the ICC. “I doubt this situation will hamper me in any way,” the fast bowler told Stabroek Sport during an exclusive interview.
“It’s just a phase for me to overcome and to do so as fast as possible and to work on the stuff I need to work on to correct it.”
Considered a genuine quickie, Beaton made exaggerated leaps in a positive direction during his career to date.
Commenting on his current stage of recovery, the 25-year-old said that he is in the final week of his rest and recovery period which will do the testing of his action in England. “The physio had given me a four to five-week period to recover and this is the fifth so I’m just waiting for this week to end and then I’ll do some bowling.“Of course, it wasn’t possible for me to do the test because I was injured and right now I’m just doing the recovery stuff and when I’m fully recovered, I’ll make the necessary contact with the West Indies Board who will then make contact with the ICC to begin the process of testing my action,” the fast bowler informed.
In recounting his debut series, the fast bowler described much of his experience as tutoring upon reflection.
“It was tough but I enjoyed the experience. Playing in conditions that I’m not accustomed to and against world-class batsmen, despite the fact that I didn’t get the amount of wickets I wanted to and pulling up injured, I learnt that I really need to vary my pace when bowling to different batsmen.
“For instance, knowing the different variations, different lines [to bowl] to the more aggressive batsmen is very important and not just only look to be tear away when bowling on those green tops,” Beaton articulated.
Looking into the not too distant future, the young Guyanese is aiming to be the first fast bowler from these parts to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) while also hoping to rectify his action in time to hold his spot in the West Indies side for their ICC World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe. His undoubted pedigree has seen him also represent the West Indies at both the youth and “A” team levels before plying his trade at the Caribbean and Bangladesh Premier league where his stardom qualities came to the fore.
