Pacer Keon Harding has a dream of following in the footsteps of great Barbadian fast bowlers by making the transition into the West Indies senior team. His chance might be just around the corner.
The talented 23-year-old fast bowler is currently in England as a reserve for the West Indies who are scheduled to play a three-match Test series against the host country. Those matches are expected to be played between July 8 and 28 at the Ageas Bowl and the Emirates Old Trafford venues respectively.
At a time when there has been much debate about the West Indies team travelling for the series amid the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Harding described it as an honour to be part of the team and to be provided the opportunity to be part of the West Indies senior team set-up.
In a telephone interview with Barbados TODAY, Harding said the goal for this England tour was to learn as much as he could and if given the opportunity to play he would like to not only give his best but also help the West Indies retain the Wisden trophy.
“It feels great to be selected. It is an honour to be here, I just want to make the most of it and continue to move from stride to stride. It is a great opportunity to be over here learning, experiencing these conditions and experiencing international cricket. Also, you never know what can happen, I could end up playing a game or two. So I think it is a great opportunity for me.
Keon Harding
“Obviously, I am a reserve but my personal goal for this tour is to keep improving my game, learn about international cricket and how guys go about it. If given the chance to actually play, then I want to help West Indies win the series,” Harding said.
The right-hander made his debut for Barbados in 2017 and was impressive during this season when he helped Barbados capture the West Indies Cricket Board’s Professional Cricket League Regional Four Day Competition for the first time in at least five years.
This year in the tournament Harding bagged 29 wickets in seven games and also took 18 wickets from nine matches in the NAGICO Regional Super 50 tournament.
Unlike fellow fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and
Chemar Holder who represented West Indies at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup and are both part of the England tour, Harding will be wearing West Indies maroon for the first time in his life.
Like most successful athletes, Harding has had to work extremely hard to reach this point of his career. He said hard work, dedication and belief was what brought him this far.
From his time at Combermere School where he came up under the guidance of current West Indies bowling coach Roddy Estwick, Harding has had the privilege of working closely with the likes of former West Indies fast bowlers Vasbert Drakes, Corey Collymore and Otis Gibson.
“I have had to work very hard and it is only going to get even harder at maintaining that level of hard work throughout the years to ensure that I stay here and do well at this level. I work hard to get here so for me it didn’t come as a surprise. The belief in yourself is one of the most crucial things you can have as a person,” he said.
A talented athlete who also played in the Barbados Football Association’s Premier League for University of the West Indies Blackbirds a few years ago. Harding showed promise at one point of being an excellent footballer. But he does not regret his decision to play cricket full time.
In fact, Harding told Barbados TODAY that in 2015 he asked God to send him a sign and believed he made the right decision to become a cricketer. He also thanked his family who he said helped to groom him and all those that played a part in his development.
Since arriving in England, Harding has had the opportunity to acclimatize with conditions. No stranger to the conditions in England, Harding spent time in the nets while on vacation there last year. “I have been lucky enough to play in England already, so I have been getting accustomed to the conditions but it wasn’t a total change for me. I had a slight idea of what to expect,” he said.
As an emerging young talent, Harding explained that his most defining moment as a player was 2013 when he played First Division and Elite cricket for Carlton Cricket Club.
“To be honest, that gives me a lot of belief to know that I can perform at that level and to believe that I can perform at higher levels as well. I played against some players that were already playing Caribbean Premier League and playing some international cricket already. So that was a notable cricket moment in my career, “ Harding added.
morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb
