By Michaelangelo Jacobus
Young Guyanese fast bowling sensation Isai Thorne has been named by Cricket West Indies as part of the U-19 squad heading to South Africa to take part in the ICC U-19 World Cup. This will be Thorne’s second World Cup outing as he was first listed for the 2022 edition.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport, Thorne relayed that he is “excited and grateful” for another opportunity to represent West Indies.
Reflecting on the aftermath of the 2022 World Cup, he revealed that it was an uphill battle with an injury that kept him out of the game for at least five months. Following his recovery from that injury, the youngster said “It was a struggle to get back to my top form”.
“For this year, I am thankful for being back on top of my game and to be performing at my best”.
Quizzed on some of the motivating persons behind his recovery and eventual rise in the game, the youngster immediately replied; “First of all my mom, and my head coach (Rohan Nurse) who motivated me to keep pushing and stuck with me despite me not feeling like I was at my best, his encouragement really pushed me and it paid off in the end, I also cannot forget my local club coach Amir Mohamed”.
Thorne’s rise to the international level over the last couple of years resulted in a developmental scholarship to join the Guyana Amazon Warriors team ahead of the 2023 Caribbean Premier League earlier this year. He also made his List A debut playing for the Combined Campuses and Colleges against Trinidad and Tobago in October of this year during the 2023–24 Super50 Cup. Just last month, he was named in the West Indies Academy squad to face the Emerging Ireland side in a List A and first-class series Thorne’s first-class debut eventually came against the Emerging Ireland side during the series on November 25.
For the ICC World Cup, the West Indies have been drawn alongside hosts South Africa, Scotland and England in Group B for their first round matches. All three matches will be played at the J.B. Marks Oval in Potchefstroom. Before that they will have warm-up matches against New Zealand and Nepal in Johannesburg.
India, who won the tournament in 2022 and are placed in Group A with Bangladesh, Ireland and the USA. Group C features Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Namibia, while Group D is made up of Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Nepal. The top three sides from each group will progress to the Super Six phase to be played from January 30 to February 3. The Semi-Finals is slated for February 6 and 8 with the Final set for February 11 at Willowmore Park in Benoni.
