By Neto Baptiste
Coach of the dominant Liberta Blackhawks, Ajarni Frederick, is confident that out of favour West Indies spinner, Hayden Walsh Jr, will return to peak form should he continue on his current trend.
Frederick, who also coaches at the Leeward Islands youth levels, said Walsh continues to show consistent improvements at the club level while demonstrating the type of commitment needed to achieve the goal of returning to the pinnacle of his game.
“If you look at his scores and stats in Antigua and Barbuda for the year playing for Liberta, he is already up there in terms of the stats, so it’s just maybe the motivation. He’s back where he needs to be in terms of starting from scratch and working myself right back up to where he needs to be and I think he is in a good space to push on now. Once he commits to something, then he is going to give 110 percent at all times. This guy is a person that strives off of environments and if the environment allows his to flourish then he will flourish,” he said.
Walsh is third in the bowling rankings for the ongoing Super40 competition with 10 wickets from three matches, five behind leader Deon Samuel of Pigotts Crushers and one behind of Tazio Watson of Tertiary Institutions and Schools. The Leeward Islands all-rounder is 13th on the batting charts with a total of 101 runs and a highest of 53.
Frederick added that Walsh brings invaluable experience to his line-up while giving the younger players an opportunity to lean on his knowledge during difficult times.
“We have experience and we have junior players coming through also and so it is important to give the junior players the opportunity to flourish or play alongside the experienced or quality players you have and that’s how learning takes place. The coach can only do so much off the field because it is on the field that cricket is played and if you have players of senior calibre that can help them develop on the field then it makes the coach’s job easier,” he said.
In addition to his exploits in the ongoing Super40, Walsh was the third leading batsman in the Antigua and Barbuda T20 Premier League with 174 runs while claiming nine wickets in five matches to also finish third on the top bowlers chart.
Walsh last played in an ODI in October of 2024 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele while he last represented the West Indies in T20 Internationals in May of 2024 in Jamaica when they faced South Africa.
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