Fit again Jacobs seeking to retain place in Jaguars team

By Akeem Greene

The name Steven Anthony Jacobs would arise in most cricket discussions when one speaks of players who from their early years as youth cricketers seemed to be

on a bullet train into the senior West Indies team. However, a drop in form combined with constant injuries and perhaps a dip in confidence kept the talented cricketer from reaching the potential he showcased as youngster.

Now at 28 and with the Regional 50-over championship set to begin in just over two weeks in Barbados and Antigua, the player who recently recovered from a lower-back injury that kept him out of national colours for the large part of 2016, says that “he is fit and rearing to go once selected in the team.”

Jacobs, who made his List A debut in 2007, captaining the West Indies Under-19 team went on to play 30 matches to date taking 33 wickets at an average of 22.39 at an economy rate of 3.17. His aggregate with the bat has not been the most attractive with just one half-century. The right arm off spinner who last played for the Jaguars in January 2016, rated his 2016 as a good one and is happy to be fit.

“2016 was a very good year for me in terms of playing for Guyana Jaguars and playing for the Amazon warriors, I actually was injured last year but it is sports and these thing do happen and it’s how you work to get back from it; I think I have done sufficient work over the past couple of months to get back to full fitness and I’m looking forward to 2017,” the Malteenoes Sports Club player stated.

With his years in the nursery the right-hander was more known for this classy batting and tidy off-spin as support but as the cricketer become older, the roles reversed, becoming more a frontline spinner, especially in the shorter formats with the new ball.

Quizzed as to the reason for this, the player explained, “over the years growing up, the team was a very difficult team to make with all the batting stars we had, so I thought the opportunity was there to play as a spinner and it just continued from there, it is not something that I really had like but that is how I would play, I would continue to do work on my batting so when I get the opportunity to score some runs, I will be looking to step up in the batting order but I’m pretty comfortable now.”

In the last 50-over tournament, the spinner was tied with medium pacer Paul Wintz with 10 wickets each as the second most successful Jaguars bowler. More so in the 2016 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), he only accounted for two wickets but had an impressive economy rate of 5.9 in his eight matches.

With such performances which unfortunately would not gain the limelight because of the lack of wickets attached or the match winning spell, the player still sees a future in West Indies cricket.

He explained, “As an off-spinner, over the years I have been among the top spinners in the Caribbean especially economy rate wise, I think if I continue with the same rate and hopefully some match winning performances and once I’m there in the Super 50 team and we can take it one more step, it could help to see more Guyanese in the West Indies limited overs team.”

In the semi-final last year against Trinidad and Tobago, Jacobs had figures of 2-12 from six overs but the team still lost to host by 54 runs which has kept Guyana without a title since they won the 2005 KFC Cup.

Cognisant of the drought in titles, Jacobs is confident that regardless of the team selected for the Super 50, they will do well once they play as a team.

He posited, “I think it very important that we win, some of the senior guys have been talking since 2016 that we really want to win the one-day tournament because it’s something that has been eluding us all the time and we have been really pushing to get it; 2017 is a new year and the confidence is with the guys so once we can do the right things we can get it.”

Jacobs, who is part the of the 28-man training squad will have a chance to impress selectors in the some of the practice matches and various drills planned before the final 14 is named for the January 24 to February 18 tournament.

Captions: A tall consistent off-spinner, Steven Jacobs could be very useful the Guyana Jaguars in the upcoming Regional Super 50