In the third ODI against Bangladesh, West Indies handed a debut to left-arm seamer Jediah Blades, despite having just over a year of professional experience behind him.
Two players made their ODI debuts in the match – wicketkeeper Amir Jangoo was the other, along with Blades, as they became ODI caps No.226 and 227 for West Indies respectively.
Our Academy product! 👌
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) December 12, 2024
Jediah Blades handed cap number 227 by assistant coach Floyd Reifer.
All the best Jediah 🙌#WIvBAN | #WIHomeForChristmas pic.twitter.com/GwWa2zA8zO
But while Jangoo had originally been named in the squad for the series, Blades was only called up, along with Marquino Mindley, after injuries to fast bowlers Shamar Joseph and Matthew Forde.
As far as professional cricket goes, Blades is still a novice, having debuted in October 2023. He has played seven first-class matches and nine List A matches for Combined Campuses and Colleges and West Indies Academy.
What he lacks in experience though, the 22-year-old makes up for with form. In the recently (bizarrely)-concluded edition of the Super50 Cup, the Caribbean's domestic List A tournament, Blades was the joint-fourth-highest wicket taker, with 14 to his name in five matches including 4-48 in his most recent fixture against Guyana.
He also made waves earlier this year in the West Indies' 4-day Championship, dismissing internationals Mikyle Louis, Kieran Powell and Keacy Carty in a match against Leewards Islands.
Here we have Jediah Blades, a 21 year old fast bowler with another admirable performance vs Leeward Islands. He claimed the wickets of Mikyle Louis who tops the run charts as well as Kieran Powell and Keacy Carty both batsmen with experience at the West Indies level. pic.twitter.com/vDECfBneUC
— Leon Yarde (@Biggerdd) March 18, 2024
Another point in Blades' favour is his left-handedness. Sheldon Cottrell was the last left-arm pacer to play consistently for the national team, and the likes of Raymon Reifer, Obed McCoy and Dominic Drakes are yet to really impress.
At the time of writing, Blades has bowled five wicketless overs and conceded 57 runs.
Image credit: Youtube / @WindiesCricket
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