In just about two years, Kevin Sinclair has become a household name in Guyana, the youngster has been moving from strength to strength in terms of his development and success at the regional level both in limited overs cricket and the longer format of the game.
The 592 Dugout caught up with Kevin who touched a bit on the recently concluded Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and other aspects of his budding career.
The 20-year-old off-spinning all-rounder who took four wickets in five matches with a miserly economy rate of 4.4 with best figures of 2/13 reflected; “I would describe CPL as another step in my development as a player, not only me but also for other emerging players as well. The Super50 last year and the Regional Four Day also played a big part in my growth as a player, I am looking to go from strength to strength and just keep doing what I do with the ball and the bat”.
Following his hard work and performances which contributed to the West Indies Emerging Players winning the Regional Super50 tournament last year, Sinclair was rewarded with a call-up to the Guyana Jaguars franchise for the West Indies Championship (Regional Four-Day) in January of this year where he again made the most of the opportunity.
Playing as a back-up to Veersammy Permaul, Sinclair played six matches and took 12 wickets at an average of every 27.25 deliveries. Asked about his preparations before tournaments of that magnitude, Sinclair explained; “I have been training indoors with the Guyana Jaguars franchise, I also do my own stuff in the afternoon, hitting balls and that kind of stuff. In terms of mental preparation it is all about assessing your game and how you’re going to execute your skills, but basically I have been banking on fitness and my all round game”.
Born at the Fort Wellington Hospital, Sinclair who spent most of his early life in Patrick Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, has his eyes set on representing the West Indies at the senior level.
“What has continually driven me throughout my career has been my passion, my love and dedication to the game, the desire to achieve my goals, and one of my main goals is to represent the West Indies. My grandfather has aided my development from a young age and right now the Academy system in Georgetown has been a main part of my continuing development”.
Looking back fondly on his earliest memories of getting into cricket, Sinclair revealed; “I started playing cricket on a concrete strip in Burmine Scheme in New Amsterdam, Berbice. At the time Shane Shillingford was fresh on the scene and doing very well, I was seven-years-old at the time and I used to call myself Shillingford, that is where my love for the game began”.
Quizzed about role models in cricket, Kevin pointed out; “In terms of off-spin, I like Nathan Lyon and I used to pattern myself off of him, I don’t know if you look at me, I have a similar action while in respect to batting I look up to Joe Root”.
When he isn’t playing cricket, Sinclair enjoys spending time with his family, however he still finds time for practice, while he also reviews his previous performances in tournaments to see where he went wrong.
The rising star also has a message for youngsters who are now coming through the game and are looking to build a career in cricket.
“My advice to them is; with hard work and dedication you can achieve and become anything you set your mind to be. There will be challenges and times when things won’t go your way, but once you push through that period, push through that struggle, you can make it”.
The 592 Dugout 