By Avenash Ramzan
Guyana Jaguars senior middle-order batsman, Vishaul “Cheesy” Singh, believes the West Indies High Performance camp for Test hopefuls was beneficial to his game.
The diminutive left-hander was part of a group of 14 players drafted from across the Caribbean, who were part of a one-week camp that focused mainly on batting against spin bowling.
The training sessions, which started last weekend, were conducted by West Indies Head Coach, Phil Simmons, at the West Indies High Performance Centre at the 3Ws Oval in Barbados.
Speaking to News Room Sports on Tuesday morning, Singh reflected on the camp, and what he was personally able to achieve.
“The experience was great being there with the West Indies Head Coach [Phil Simmons] and the batting consultant Stuart Williams. Obviously they are part of the West Indies coaching staff, so getting to know these people and being there and sharing experiences with guys that have played for the West Indies, like Kraigg [Brathwaite] and those guys, was really a great experience,” the 27-year-old related.
During the sessions, the players were able to dissect their game, and work on specific areas with the aim of mastering them.
“We did a lot of work on the machine, using our feet, playing back using the depth of the crease and sweeping. It was basically those three approaches that we interacted in, in terms of playing spin bowling. I would say that I got the most out of probably sweeping because that’s something I don’t normally do,” the Georgetown Cricket Club batsman highlighted.
Singh was one of four Guyanese who formed part of the camp. The others were Test batsmen Rajendra Chandrika and Leon Johnson and rookie left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie.
Singh earned the call to the camp following his exploits in the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) Professional Cricket League (PCL) Four-day competition where he is among the most prolific batsmen in the two-year history of the tournament.
Prior to the start of the competition in 2014/2015, Singh was on the sidelines, but the left-hander, who made his first appearance in regional cricket in 2009, grabbed the PCL opportunities with both hands, tallying 479 runs in the first season, and scoring the third most (712) during season two.
His four hundreds during this period played a crucial role in Guyana winning back-to-back First-Class titles for the first time. Singh said a determined attitude and a desire to succeed were the main ingredients in his career turnaround.
“As with any kind of success, you have to put in the hard work and determination, and that is something I always had at the back of my mind. As you said, being left out I always wanted to be back, because cricket is what I want to do…that’s the career I have made, so those little disappointments would not make me fall away but help me to come back stronger and keep working harder at my game. I think working harder and gaining the experience over the years have made me come to grips with the level of First-Class cricket,” Singh explained.
Now that he is an established player in the First-Class team, having appeared in 31 games and averaging 32 with four hundreds and six fifties, Singh is looking to add to his List A tally of eight matches in the coming years, as his ultimate aim remains a place on the West Indies senior team.
(lead photo caption: Guyana Jaguars batsman Vishaul Singh gets a few tips from West Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons at last week’s session in Barbados)
