Left-hander top-order batsman Kjorn Ottley has hailed his debut selection to the West Indies One-Day International squad as a well-deserved Christmas gift to himself for all the hard work put in throughout his career.
On Tuesday, the 31-year-old earned his maiden call-up to the regional ODI squad which begins its 2021 tour of Bangladesh, on January 10. The series features three ODIs and two Test matches.
Ottley dubbed his inaugural selection a “dream come true” and is eager to receive his first maroon cap as an official senior WI player.
“It’s an amazing feeling knowing that this was always my childhood dream to represent the WI at the highest level,” said Ottley.
“I didn’t really expect it. I know I was a fringe player. I probably had a chance but I thought it was really for the WI ‘A’ team. Getting the call-up by the selectors was really my Christmas gift.”
The Central Sports batsman sees the tour as a great opportunity to showcase his skill and ability on an international level.
His selection came after 10 experienced players across the ODI and Test format declined selection for the January 20 to February 15 tour due to “COVID-19 related concerns or personal fears.”
The list is headed by Test captain Jason Holder and white ball skipper, Kieron Pollard, and includes Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran.
Two other players, all-rounder Fabien Allen and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, also opted out of the tour for “personal reasons”.
While Ottley believes the men in maroon will miss some of their more experienced players on tour, he thinks their absence may provide a platform for the younger players to have a shot at the top-flight competition.
“It’s an opportunity I, and I’m sure the younger players, would like to grasp with both hands. Every opportunity I get to play cricket outside of TT I see it as a way to go forward especially if I put in good performances,” Ottley explained.
“The new players, like myself, will be looking to do our best in Bangladesh and keep our names in the eyes of the CWI selectors.”
He added: “Personally I want to take it one game at a time and perform to the best and enjoy my cricket. Once I do this, I think that should be a good start for me.”
With regards to competing in a bio-secure bubble in Bangladesh, Ottley anticipates this new normal to the cricketing arena. Having previously visited Bangladesh with the High-Performance Centre Academy some years ago, Ottley is raring to go.
“I didn’t experience the quarantine as yet but I don’t think it should be too harsh on me. I have been training a lot and this new normal is something I have been looking forward to,” he said. (Newsday/BT)
