CPL MVP Walsh Jr says Windies on his mind

PLAYER of the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 Tournament Hayden Walsh Jnr, says playing for the West Indies is on his radar, telling the media it has been a dream of his to wear maroon colours.

The Barbados Tridents leg spinner surprised many as he ended the tournament as the top wicket-taker with a haul of 22 wickets in nine matches. He ended the tournament with an economy rate of 8.28 and his best figures were 5/19 in four overs against Trinbago Knight Riders, at Kensington Oval, in Barbados, on September 26.

He took six wickets more than second-placed finisher Imran Tahir. The South African leg spinner also played nine matches and ended with an economy rate of 5.62.

What is more remarkable about Walsh Jnr’s medal haul is that he only played nine of the possible 13 matches for the Tridents.

Walsh Jnr, 27, is eligible to play for both West Indies and USA as he was born in St Croix, US Virgin Islands to his Antiguan father Hayden Walsh.

The older Walsh, who died in 2010 in a swimming pool accident at 46, played 18 first class matches for Leeward Islands in the 1980s and 1990s.

Walsh Jnr has played one One Day International and eight T20 Internationals for USA and has 23 regional first class matches under his belt for Leeward Islands and Barbados in the Professional Regional Four-Day Competition.

After Tridents defeated Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL final,on Saturday, Walsh Jnr said, “It is been up in my head recently since I have been doing well and honestly it is a dream if I could play for West Indies. I am definitely looking to make myself a better player and I think playing for West Indies will do that.” Walsh Jnr said everyone played their part in the Tridents success. “It is because of teamwork (we won the title).

When we were down and out everybody was writing us off, but we stuck together and here we are now.”

Walsh Jnr said he did not get demotivated when he was not selected earlier in the tournament. “I have sat out a lot in other tournaments, so I am a hard working person and all I had to do is just work hard and look for the goal.”