January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
Senior national cricketers, Malachi Jones and Rodney Trott, stood out among their peers at this month’s ICC Americas Regional Academy in St. Kitts.
During the ten-day training exercise at Warner Park the local pair had the opportunity to enhance the technical, tactical, physical and mental aspects of their game under the watchful gaze of ICC performance officer for the Americas Andy Pick.
Pick, a England ‘A’ fast bowler, told the Bermuda Sun: “The Bermuda boys both put on a very creditable showing at the Academy.
“They arrived a day late due to a passport issue in Miami but were soon fully integrated into the group where they proved to be two of the best cricketers on show.”
“They both have experience at national level and this was evident in their contributions to group discussions and session evaluation.
“They both had a great attitude at the camp with an obvious thirst for knowledge, and I hope they both took things away which will improve their game.”
The pair are widely considered among the best of their generation, thoroughly enjoyed their brief stint at the regional academy.
Jones said: “The experience gave us a little taste of the professional environment and what it’s like to be a pro on a day-to-day basis.
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“The drills were at a different level and hopefully some of our younger players will get the same opportunity to be involved in an eye-opening experience such as this.”
Trott added: “The camp was well organized and had a lot to do with skills. It was so well-organized and I really enjoyed it because I also got to meet people I haven’t seen in a little while.”
Jones intends to put some of the techniques he learned in St.Kitts to good use during next month’s World Cricket League (WCL) Division Two Tournament in Dubai.
He said: “Before I really didn’t have the breeze to bowl a consistent spell, but being in St. Kitts for a whole week has really helped me out in terms of breathing techniques and how to recover between overs.”
The WCL Division Two Tournament, to be April 8-15, will feature six teams (Uganda, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Bermuda) that will compete against each other once with the top two teams qualifying for the final.
The eventual top four teams will be eligible to receive ICC High Performance Grants while two of the four top teams will join the eight-team Intercontinental Cup competition.
The eventual fifth and sixth placed teams will be relegated to the WCL Division Three.
Jones, who claimed a wicket with his first delivery at the 2007 World Cup at the youthful age of 17, reckons he and his fellow team-mates will be equal to the task in Dubai.
Effort
He added: “If we just stick to the basics and do the simple things for longer periods of the game we will be successful.
“We have the ability, we just need to concentrate more on doing the simple things for longer periods.”
Trott, who captained Bermuda at the 2008 ICC Under 19 World Cup in Asia, also expressed optimism on the eve of the senior national team’s departure to Dubai tomorrow.
He said: “We should be alright because everyone has been putting the effort into training. Everyone is really up for it.”
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