Brandon King will be aiming to break into the West Indies team with a positive outing when he turns up for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Following the Warriors’ first day of rigorous training, King was asked about the opportunity presented by being a part of the tournament dubbed ‘the biggest party in sport,’ and said that he was confident it can lead to a West Indies call up or more.
“Definitely!, this is the premier T20 competition in the Caribbean and players are selected based on their performances in this, so it is definitely a stepping stone for me and it is televised worldwide, so it is a big stage to showcase your skills,” King stated.
The 24-year-old right handed batsman was snapped up by the Warriors in the ninth round of the Draft. King confessed that he was excited to come to a new franchise but felt that it would be in his best interest and the team’s if he adapts quickly.
“For me it is always exciting to be part of a new set up and team, “he said.
“I think one of the skills you must have being a cricketer is being able to adapt to different situations and it is always good to experience new things and challenge yourself,” he added.
The Jamaican said that he is optimistic about working with the Warriors, noting their well-documented success although they have not yet won the title, a feat which he desires to accomplish.
“This franchise has been doing well over the years. They’ve been to four finals so the only way to improve that is to get over the final line and hopefully I can be a part of that,” King related. He explained that the Warriors have experienced persons in the set-up and that he will look to learn as much as he can from them.
“It is definitely a plus for me! You get to rub shoulders with some of the international guys who have been playing for many years so, me, personally, I would be looking to have as much conversations with them, learn as much as I can from them and put it into my game as fast as possible,” he stated.
Warriors will feature former Pakistan captain, Shoaib Malik, Ben Laughlin, Chris Green, Veerasammy Permaul, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Nicholas Pooran, Clinton Pestano, Romario Shepherd, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Keagan Simmons, Odean Smith and Anthony Bramble while behind the scenes, Johan Botha is the Head Coach along with Assistant Coach, Rayon Griffith.
The former St. Kitts and Nevis Patriot made his debut against the Warriors in 2017 and has featured in 18 matches and has a strike rate of 119 with a best of 60. The top order batsman said that he intends to improve on his previous seasons.
“For me it is just about improving every year. I had two previous years with St. Kitts franchise and coming here I’m just looking to improve on my performances and be a big part of the success of the team.”
While being a Jamaican and a part of Patriots prior, King suggests that he does not have any point to prove to them but will be using it as motivation to do well.
When asked if he was pressured by those factors, King responded, “Not necessarily, it is something that I can use as motivation to give yourself that kind of energy. Its franchise cricket, that’s the nature of it and you tend to move around so I am going to use it as motivation.”
Warriors will begin their hunt for their maiden title on Thursday when they take on St. Lucia Stars at Providence from 18.00hrs before playing back to back matches against St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Barbados Tridents over the weekend.
