By Neto Baptiste
Antigua and Barbuda’s Devon Thomas is hoping to make his debut Test appearance on home soil when West Indies host Bangladesh in the first match of the two-Test series here at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Speaking with Observer following news he had been included in a 12-man squad ahead of the June 16-20 match, Thomas said having the opportunity to play in front of his home crowd would serve as a major motivator.
“Well, I was looking forward to that even in the Test [series] before against England, so I was really hoping to make my debut in Antigua on home soil, which would be a big accomplishment for me in front of my fans, my family and stuff like that, so I am really looking forward to it and I just can’t wait,” he said.
Thomas, who finished the recently concluded CWI 4-Day Championships as the third highest scorer with 414 runs in five matches and a highest of 112, is hoping to carry his form into the opening Test, once selected.
“At the end of the day I put in some hard work over the last year and a half I think, and now I am being fully rewarded so I am really thankful. My expectations still remain the same, and whatever I was doing in the First Class, I will just convert that to Test. It’s an International game but my mindset has to be the same and that is to stay on the same path and the rest will take care of itself,” he said.
In his 21 ODI matches, the wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 238 runs with a highest of 37 while scoring just two runs in four T20 International matches, but he has an overall 1391 runs in 101 T20 showings.
The Leeward Islands player has had quite the successful First Class career with 5092 runs in 100 matches.