BIRMINGHAM, England, CMC—Fast bowler Jayden Seales said he and the rest of the West Indies bowling attack learned a few hard lessons during their side’s chastening loss against hosts England in the Richards-Botham Trophy Series.
The Caribbean side was condemned to a 3-0 series sweep after losing the third and final Test against the English by ten wickets on Sunday at Edgbaston.
They also lost the first Test that ended three Fridays ago—within three days—by an innings and 114 runs at Lord’s and the second Test that finished last Sunday—within four days—by 241 runs at Trent Bridge.
Seales ended the three-Test series with 13 wickets at 27.23 apiece and earned the vote from England head coach Brendon McCullum as the West Indies Player-of-the-Series.
“It was tough at times because they [England] play freely,” the 22-year-old pacer from Trinidad & Tobago said in a post-play TV interview that followed the award presentation.
“They take opportunities to score if you give them a chance, so you have to be on it all the time, and once we were off, they just took every opportunity to score.”
The Caribbean side will have little time to absorb the lessons from the Tour of England before they start a two-Test series against South Africa next month on home soil.
The first Test against the Proteas starts on August 7 at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, and the second Test begins on August 15 at the Guyana National Stadium.
Seales said he was optimistic that the bowlers could regroup, find a winning formula against the South Africans, and set the foundation for a brighter future in the sport.
“I think once we all continue to grow and learn and develop our games to become better bowlers, this is a team that we can grow together with and be a force to be reckoned with in the future,” he said.
Seales collected his 50th Test wicket during the third Test against Ben Stokes and company when he caught Harry Brook behind for two.
He said his decision to play for a brief spell with Sussex in Division 2 of the English County Championship had helped him reap the success he did during the series.
“It was deliberate for me to come across and play with Sussex this season,” Seales said. “It allowed me to understand the English conditions, understand myself a lot more, and know what I can do in these conditions and how they can help me.”
The series marked a strong comeback for the pacer after he suffered a career-threatening knee injury two years ago.
“Being able to represent West Indies again in Tests is a big thing for me,” he said. “Coming back [from injury] for me and doing well for the team is rewarding, and I’m just looking to improve on the performances moving forward.
“The body is not too bad. I am just trying to recover and looking forward to the series [against South Africa] back home.”
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