Trinidad and Tobago, WI seamer Seales signs for Sussex

Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales has been signed by Sussex for the 2024 English County Championship season.

In a release sent out on Tuesday, the club confirmed Seales "will be available for Sussex from the start of the season, until June 8, 2024."

The 22-year-old pacer was due to suit up for Sussex last season, but a knee injury curtailed those plans.

Seales made his West Indies Test match debut in June 2021 versus South Africa, and he has since played ten Tests and ten One-day internationals (ODIs) for the Caribbean team, taking 43 wickets across the two formats. In August 2021, at 19 and 336 days, Seales became the youngest West Indian to take a five-wicket haul in Test cricket when he had figures of five for 55 against Pakistan at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

Seales, who has played just 15 matches in total in his first-class career, says he is up for the Sussex challenge.

"As a young fast bowler, I want to expose myself to as many different conditions and challenges as possible. I can't wait to test myself in England and hopefully contribute to a winning start for Sussex in both Championship and T20 cricket."

Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace also spoke on the signing.

"Jayden is an exciting fast bowler who will provide us with a cutting edge to our bowling attack for the first two months of the season. We are all really looking forward to working with Jayden and helping him continue the great start to his career."

Seales has been working his way back from knee surgery and participated in both the 2023 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and CG United Regional Super50 tournaments. The latter tournament was won by Seales' TT Red Force team on November 11.

He also featured in a three-match ODI series for the West Indies versus India from July 27-August 1, 2023, in which he took two wickets.

Seales' last appearance for the Windies at Test level came almost a year ago, when he turned out versus Australia in Perth last December.

On Sunday, Seales was named in a 14-man West Indies A team squad which will tour South Africa for three four-day matches from November 21-December 8.