ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Legend Brian Lara believes the rookie batting pair Kirk McKenzie and Alick Athanze possess the attributes to succeed at the highest level, despite lacking extensive first-class experience.
McKenzie, 22, and Athanaze, 24, were named in the West Indies squad for the first Test against India starting next week.
While Athanaze has already featured in 30 first-class games, McKenzie has played only nine, but Lara said their willingness to listen and learn could prove critical for them.
“They are skillful players – young. Of course, you would love it if they had a lot more experience, especially in the first-class arena, but looking at their style of play, their attitude, they do have what it takes to perform at the highest level,” said Lara, who is West Indies’ performance mentor for the upcoming series.
“It may take some time, but, as an international cricketer, if you are at this stage, it doesn’t matter what age you’re at; you’ve got to learn very, very quickly, and I think they have that sort of attitude to learn and willing to listen, and I look forward to bigger things in the future.”
McKenzie has scored consistently since his first-class debut last year, averaging 39 while notching one triple-figure score and four half-centuries.
That triple-figure score was a brilliant 221 during the Headley-Weekes Tri-Series last April, while two of his fifties came on the tour of Bangladesh a month later.
Athanaze, meanwhile, scored heavily for Windward Islands Volcanoes during the recent first-class season, gathering 647 runs at an average of 64 with two hundred.
The left-hander also sparkled with a half-century on his recent One-Day International debut against the United Arab Emirates.
They will be part of a squad led by opener Kraigg Brathwaite, attempting to win their first Test against India in two decades.
And Lara, who was part of the squad’s training camp in Antigua over the last week, said even though India presented a problematic proposition, West Indies could push the Asian powerhouses.
“We’ve got two important Test matches which start that two-year cycle for us against India which we know at home, away from home, they’re one of the top teams in the world,” said the former West Indies captain and master batsman.
“And I think the guys have been moving in the right direction regarding when we started the camp and where we are now.
“We’re only a few days off from the first Test match in Dominica. It’s a young group led by Kraigg Brathwaite, but I feel some guys can come into their own in this series.
“It’s tough opposition, but I believe that’s how we can get the best out of them.”
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