Speedster Oshane Thomas eyeing lift from Windies 'A' opportunity

Rising young Jamaican fast bowler Oshane Thomas says he hopes to use the upcoming series between West Indies 'A' and Sri Lanka 'A' to advance his career and challenge for a spot in the cricket West Indies team.

Getting a call-up to the West Indies 'A' team is a big move for me,'' said 20-year-old Thomas, who in bowling at speeds of over 150 mph, was one of the fastest bowlers in the 2017 Caribbean Premier League.  "I get to learn a bit more about cricket and about the longer versions of the game, as my aim in the end is to play Test cricket, one-dayers, and Twenty20 for the West Indies.''

Thomas, a standout for the Jamaica Tallawahs during the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Twenty20, could potentially make his 'A' team debut in the series, which gets under way in Jamaica next week.

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Oshane Thomas in action

The 20-year-old Thomas blistering pace and steep bounce rattled the Patriots on a batting surface that otherwise appeared a little slow.

This 2017 season in his third CPL game and first of the season, he took 3-31 off his allotted four overs to push the Tallawahs to a 41-run victory. The performance earned him the man of the match award.

Oshane's first ball in first class cricket handed him the big wicket of Windward Islands Volcanoes' Devon Smith during a four-day match hosted by Jamaica Scorpions at Sabina Park in November 2016.

Gayle was mainly responsible for Thomas's inclusion in the team that defeated Guyana Amazon Warriors last year. Thomas took his maiden CPL wicket in that encounter.