Guyanese Test batsman, Leon Johnson, is presently in the 166 Sq mile Island of Barbados where he is a part of the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) two-week batting camp.
The camp is aimed at preparing the ‘mental and technical’ aspects of eight of the leading batsmen in contention for possible selection for the Sri Lanka two-test series which starts with a two-day warm-up match on October 4.
The first Test begins on October 14 with the second Test scheduled from October 22-26. Three ODIs and two T20s will also be played in Sri Lanka before the West Indies head ‘down under’ for a three-Test series which starts on December 10.
The Caribbean side will play Australia in the traditional ‘Boxing Day Test’ before the final Test starts on January 7, 2016. The 28-year-old Johnson, who has two half-centuries in his four Tests, said he is enjoying his time at the camp at the High Performance Centre (HPC) under Head Coach Phill Simmons and disclosed that the camp “has been going good so far”.
“I have been working hard on my fitness and the technical part of my batting and I am hopeful of being selected to go to Sri Lanka since there is no Regional Cricket before that tour,” said the Guyana Captain who has played 63 First-Class matches since making his debut at Enmore against the Leewards 11 years ago.
Johnson, who made his Test debut in St Lucia against Bangladesh last year, was on 66 in his first innings at Test level when he was stuck on his pad by Taijul Islam and took too long to call for the review, which would have shown that the ball would have missed the wicket.
In addition to Johnson, 26-year-old opener Rajendra Chandrika, only the second West Indian to bag a ‘pair’ on Test debut when he failed to score against Australia in Jamaica in his only Test thus far, is the other Guyanese at the Camp.
Jamaican Jermaine Blackwood, the Bajan quartet of Shai Hope, the unrelated Braithwaite’s (Kraigg & Carlos) and wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich (who made his debut as a batsman) all began the camp on Monday.
Talented but temperamental left-hander, Trinidadian Darren Bravo only arrived in Barbados on Wednesday night. Fast and spin bowling camps were held recently and the Guyanese pair of Devendra Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul attended the spin bowling camp.
(Taken from Kaieteur News)