THERE WERE mixed results for West Indies bowlers during the 2024 English Vitality County Championship.
Jayden Seales was the only WI player involved in Division Two. The Trinidad and Tobago fast bowler, who was recuperating from knee and shoulder injuries, played in six matches before Test duties against hosts England and at home to South Africa.
For his county team Sussex, Seales bagged 24 wickets at an average of 24.25, with a best return of five wickets for 29 runs against Derbyshire.
In Division One, Jason Holder showed his all-round talent during a five-game spell at Worcestershire.
With the bat, he made 186 runs at 37.20, with a topscore of 123 not out against Kent. With the ball, the pacer claimed nine wickets at 44.33.
Another Barbadian, Kemar Roach, returned to Surrey for the 2024 season, but he missed a few matches due to a West Indies duty.
He was forced to withdraw from the three-Test series against hosts England in July due to a knee injury. He returned for the first Test against South Africa in Trinidad, in August, but was not at his best and, as a result, he was left out for the second and final Test in Guyana.
With regards to his county stint, Roach played a total of eight matches and bagged 20 scalps, at an average of 29.50. He only took one five-wicket haul – 6/46 against Warwickshire.
Fellow Barbados fast-medium bowler Akeem Jordan was drafted by Kent in August, weeks after he was called up to the West Indies Test team to replace the injured Jeremiah Louis.
Jordan featured in two games for Kent, and collected eight wickets at 29.62, including a five-wicket haul (5/97 versus Worcestershire). However, Kent had a rough season, and were demoted from Division One.
Anderson Phillip was signed by Lancashire for the last three games of Division One.
Phillip, the Trinidad and Tobago fast bowler, who missed most of 2023 due to injury, was rewarded with 15 wickets, at an average of 23.93, with best figures of 5/65 against Worcestershire.
Chemar Holder, the Barbados fast bowler, was signed by Durham for the final three matches of Division One, as a replacement for former New Zealand left-arm fast bowler Neil Wagner, who was injured.
Holder, who is yet to regain top form after undergoing shoulder surgery a couple years ago, only claimed two wickets (in three games) at an average of 64.0.
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Jayden Seales is seriously someone Sussex had their eyes on quite early and both have benefited, with Sussex moving upto Division 1 cricket next season and his bowling getting improved in flat conditions at Hove and him getting the required match practice after injury.