Speaking with media Jayden Seales, the young West Indian quick who is playing in the Test series against England, has stated that his ambition is to dominate Test cricket and rank among the top three bowlers in the format in the future.
Seales, 22, is part of the West Indies’ first-choice seam attack, which will face England in a three-match Test series. Seales made his Test debut against South Africa in 2021, but injuries have limited him to just ten games. The England series marks a comeback for Tobago’s towering right-arm seamer.
Seales discussed his ambitions and how he hopes to make an impact in Test cricket. In an era when most players are moving their focus to white-ball cricket, Seales is one of the few players who has the most first-class caps across all three formats.
When asked if he saw himself as primarily a red-ball player, Seales responded, “I want to say yes, but I would branch off into white ball.”
“Not right now because, in my opinion, and I am not saying this is how it should be, but I believe that in order to become a better white-ball player, I need to play a lot of red-ball to understand my game and build my talents.
“So I will play red-ball for as long as I possibly can.”
Seales voiced concern with the dwindling amount of Test matches held each year.
“It is frustrating at times,” he remarked. “Not me, but it can clearly make a lot of players wonder whether they want to play Test cricket for much longer because if we are averaging 10, 12 Test matches per year and most series are two, sometimes one, there is not much cricket to play, so it is no longer fun.
“Most of the top nations get three or four-match series, and occasionally 20 Test matches per year. I hope it changes in the future, because Test cricket is where players can excel.”
Since 2018, the West Indies have averaged seven Tests per year until the end of 2023, playing ten Tests only once – in 2021. In reality, the West Indies have not played more than ten Tests in a calendar year since 2009.
Despite the obstacles of Test cricket, Seales declared a goal to reach the pinnacle of the game within the next five to ten years.
“I would continue to play for the West Indies in all formats, and my objective as a young lad was to be number one in the world for at least three or five years. So maybe up there at some stage, or at least make the top three in Test cricket.”