Fast bowler Jacen Agard working towards U23 Red Force selection

LEFT-ARM fast bowler Jacen Agard has his eyes set on breaking into Trinidad and Tobago’s Under-23 team for the new, regional T20 tournament in 2025.

Agard played a key role in helping Presentation College San Fernando to an unprecedented school’s cricket treble in 2023, by winning the Powergen-sponsored league and T20 tournaments, and KFC T10 Golden Cup title.

Two years on, Agard, 19, is now beyond the U19 competitive age bracket and is aiming at reaching new heights as an emerging/U23 player.

The lanky medium-pacer is currently training with a group of over 40 TT cricketers chasing national team selection for the upcoming Regional Four-Day competition.

However, Agard is having some minor knee issues but remains optimistic he will recover in time for the tentatively scheduled regional U23 T20 tourney in April/May.

He’s recently bounced back from a quad strain and groin injury and will use the next couple of months to work on his minor knee issue, to increase his chances of U23 team selection.

On December 15, Cricket West Indies (CWI) director of cricket Miles Bascombe announced the green light for the region’s staging of its first-ever U23 T20 tourney, designed to unearth more talent in the format.

“The main goal is to try to stay healthy for the season,” Agard said. “I just want to be consistent, a bit more economical, have less stress on my body and skills wise, just to be able to do what I want to do, when I want to do it. It’s just about gaining 100 percent control over everything.”

Despite the injury hampering his on-field time during the ongoing four-day trials, Agard is not too worried since he has a full career ahead of him.

For the 2024 season, he played domestic club cricket with Profilbau Victoria United and gained some higher-level experience. He had a fair season with the club and showed good worth, despite his teammates dropping 18 catches off his bowling.

In 2023, he was part of a 29-member West Indies U19 squad chosen for a West Indies Rising Stars Under 19s High-Performance camp in Antigua.

For 2025, he has not been selected to represent any club but remains hopeful the call will come.

He credits national coaches and his father for paying him the additional attention needed to develop his craft.

Breaking into the national U23 team, however, is one of his first steps towards senior team selection, and by extension an integral path towards knocking on West Indies’ door.

“It’s (U23 team selection) a small but important step to getting to West Indies. It’s a big goal in the now, but for the long term, it’s a step closer. Making the senior TT team would be one progressive step towards the ultimate goal of reaching West Indies selection,” he added.

When asked, as a young cricketer, what wisdom he would impart to younger players with similar dreams as his, Agard said, “

It doesn’t matter if it’s the first or last option, just grab the opportunity. And even then, sometimes when you do your best and outshine others, it’s not always guaranteed you’ll end up where you want to. Just focus on staying happy.”