Gudakesh Motie is the latest Guyanese bowler to join the 100 first class wickets club, a feat that has motivated him to double that over the next few seasons.
The left-arm spinner picked up the landmark wicket in his only match of the 2020 West Indies Championship against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes when Terrance Warde presented a catch to wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble.
Stabroek Sport caught up with the Guyana Jaguars’ bowler who said, “Obviously it is a great feeling and a good start for me but I’m just going to keep working harder and move from strength to strength.”
Motie has played 29 first-class matches since making his debut five years ago and has an average of 20.54 and an economy rate of 2.49. So far, he has bagged one 10-wicket match haul and four five-wicket hauls. Reflecting on the build-up to this accomplishment Motie declared, “It’s been a very tough road for me. I had a very good start to my first-class career but recently I haven’t been able to play consistently.”
Nevertheless, the Albion Cricket Club spinner is not discouraged from pursuing his dream of one day representing West Indies at the test level, having already played for the ‘A’ Team.
In fact, the milestone has encouraged the 24-year-old to set another goal of reaching 100 more wickets in 25 or fewer matches.
With a break in the West Indies Championship now in effect due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the final two matches of the season have been postponed, allowing Motie more time to return to his Berbice-based club where he trains twice daily.
The Belvedere, Corentyne resident, explained that he is hopeful of playing the few remaining matches and is confident that he can end the season on a high and put Jaguars in a favorable position. Motie acknowledged the contributions of a fellow left-arm spinner, Veerasammy Permaul and leg-spinner, Devendra Bishoo as well as Albion’s Vemen Walter and the Guyana Jaguars’ coaches for their sterling input towards his development.
