By Neto Baptiste
West Indies spinner, Hayden Walsh Jr., said he will be using the downtime presented by the ongoing coronavirus or COVID 19 pandemic to work on his consistency at the International level.
In an interview with OBSERVER media, Walsh Jr. said he aims to emerge from the indefinite shutdown on all sports a better player.
“I think everything happens for a reason, and it probably came at a right time because now I can, once we get to go out a little bit more and I can work on a lot more things, to make myself a bit better on the field,” he said.
“Consistency in my bowling and probably do a lot more strength and conditioning and working at a few niggles that I probably may have,” he added.
Walsh Jr., who has played 10 One Day International (ODI) matches, has claimed 12 wickets for 331 runs at an average of 27.6.
The national and Leeward Island’s player said he has been taking the shutdown in stride.
“Actually, it has been quite tough; I am in St. Kitts right now and today [April 1] actually started the 24-hour lockdown so it just feels like I am stranded, but I am staying optimistic and just waiting to hear the word that we can go out and prepare and get ready for the next thing,” he said.
Walsh Jr., a left-handed batsman and right-arm leg-spin bowler, has also represented the United States national cricket team, but earned a West Indies selection in October of 2019 following a successful Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament with Barbados Tridents.
The Antiguan topped the CPL bowling stats for 2019 after claiming 22 wickets in nine innings at an average of 12.68 and best figures of five for 19.