IT?IS?RARE?to find two Trinidadian-born spin bowlers representing a Barbados-based team in a regional cricket competition.
But roommates Ryan Austin and Kavesh Kantasingh have teamed up to form a lethal spin combination which has paid huge dividends for the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) in the 2011 West Indies first-class championship.
They have combined for 76 wickets, helping unfancied CCC to create history by reaching a final of a WICB tournament for the first time since they were allowed to participate in regional cricket in 2007.
Off-spinner Austin, who previously represented Barbados, has taken a tournament-high 39 wickets at 19.33 runs apiece, while 24-year-old Kantasingh has captured 37 wickets at an average of 17.62 with his left-arm spin.
The 29-year-old Austin was full of praise for Kantasingh after the pair shared nine second innings wickets on Sunday to bowl CCC to a lop-sided 157-run victory over the Windward Islands at their home ground the 3WS Oval.
Kantasingh also bagged five first innings wickets and a career-best seven for 22 against Barbados in the final preliminary round at the same venue to move his career-tally to 106 wickets in 30 first-class matches at 23.77 runs each.
“This is my third season playing with him and he’s been improving a lot. We are roommates as well, and at the end of the day we have long conversations at nights about what we are going to do the next day and stuff like that,” Austin revealed.
“He is proving to be a good bowler at this level and I hope people all over are really taking note of that as well,” Austin said after the match in an interview with MIDWEEK SPORT.
Austin said he and Kantasingh complement each other with their different styles of bowling.
“When you look at Kantasingh, he is more of a tight bowler. In any bowling partnership, when you have an attacking bowler and a tight bowler, it is always a great combination,” Austin reasoned. “With one bowler tying up one end, obviously batsmen get frustrated, so they try to hit at the other end. “At times, he would say, ‘Gristle’ [Austin’s nickname], I’m getting the wickets, you tighten it up’, so it’s a good communication between both of us and I hope in the final, you will see the same thing as well.”
Austin, who has already represented the West Indies on the international stage against Bangladesh when the first team players were on strike, said he is not counting out wearing the maroon cap again.
“It’s everyone’s dream to play Test cricket. I’ve played two Test matches and I wasn’t as successful as I wanted to be, so given the opportunity again, I would definitely take the chance and I would obviously go out there to do my best.
“I’m not giving up. I’m still around and every year I play this cricket I will always be reminding the selectors that I’m around,” added Austin, who has taken 221 wickets at an average of 24.29 in 56 first-class matches.
