Making your debut on the biggest stage in International cricket at home is a dream that every aspiring cricketer has.
On Wednesday, that dream could become reality for Trinidadian off-spinner Bryan Charles.
The 29-year-old is a part of the West Indies squad to face South Africa in three Test matches, with the first beginning on Wednesday at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.
“It would be an extremely proud moment for me, especially if I am lucky enough to receive my cap at home,” Charles said in an interview with CWI’s John Phillips at the end of a training session on Monday.
Charles’ first call-up to the West Indies test squad comes after 44 First-Class games since his debut against Guyana at Providence in 2015.
In those 44 games, Charles has taken 150 wickets at an average of 26.56 including seven five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket match haul.
This past West Indies Championship season, Charles led the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force with 31 wickets in seven matches at an average of 17.
“I was obviously pretty elated to hear the news. It was a very proud moment for me. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” he said of receiving the call-up before thanking his father for introducing him to the game at a young age.
“Obviously, I’d like to thank my dad. He introduced me to most sports but I stuck with cricket from my younger days and made a career out of it from playing for the national team from Under-13 straight up to the senior team,” he added.
This won’t be Charles’ first time representing the West Indies on the international stage, however, as he represented the West Indies Under-19s at the 2014 ICC Under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
As far as inspirations in international cricket go, Charles singled out Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon, specifically mentioning his fondness of his action.
If given a chance to play on Wednesday, there’s no doubt Charles would love to emulate what Lyon did on test debut against Sri Lanka in 2010 when he dismissed the great Kumar Sangakkara wit the first ball of his career.