(CMC) – Rookie opener Jeremy Solozano has brushed aside concerns about his ability to tie down a place in the Test squad, after being a surprise selection for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka starting tomorrow.
The 26-year-old averages only 23 from 40 first class matches and is the third opener tried by selectors following similar flirtations in recent years with fellow left-handers John Campbell and Kieran Powell.
“To be honest I’m not really under pressure. I think with the environment I’m in with the team, there is no pressure,” he told a media conference here Friday.
“It’s just to go out there and enjoy. I believe once you enjoy your game and enjoy training, everything will just fall into place.
“Once given the opportunity, I’ll just try and contribute to the team as much as possible, which is doing what the team requires at different situations.”
He added: “To be honest I’m not really dwelling on my stats too much in first class cricket.
“This is a new chapter, a new stage in my career so I’m looking forward to having a great career in Test cricket and once given the chance, I would like to prove the selectors right by giving them good performances.”
Campbell, 28, averaged 23 from 15 Tests inside the last two years and his successor Powell was given only four matches this year from which he averaged 14, before also being discarded.
Solozano could now see himself become captain Kraigg Brathwaite’s third partner in two years but the Trinidadian said he was already building a useful off-field relationship with the long-term opener. “I’ve been with Kraigg since the camp in Antigua [last month]. He and I are always together, always talking,” Solozano said.
“I’m trying to feed off him as much as I could and gain from his experiences. He’s been sharing a lot of knowledge and we’ve been keeping close from since Antigua until now.
“It’s just to keep that bond and to keep learning and growing, once given the opportunity to play as my career begins.”
Solozano has not played a first class game in nearly two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has prevented Cricket West Indies from staging the domestic four-day tournament.
He scored 74, 12 and two in the Antigua trial matches and said he entered the two games in good shape because of his relentless fitness regime.
“I never really stopped training. I’ve been training hard, doing a lot of batting, gym, everything – trying to get my body as fit as possible,” Solozano explained.
“Once I got the call to go to Antigua, it was not [a situation where] I wasn’t prepared or had to play catch up. I was prepared, I was ready and I’m just looking forward to this [tour] and making use of the opportunity.”
