The 25-year-old has impressed some of West Indies’ greats but is still looking for his first half-century after nine Test innings
There is something about Alick Athanaze. Something that led the great Brian Lara to describe Athanaze, his successor at No. 4 in West Indies’ Test line-up, as the “most talented” batter in the current team. Something that caught the eye of Ian Bishop, prompting him to say Athanaze “could be a leading light in years to come” after he made 47 on debut against India last year.
Something that was spotted by Graham Gooch, at the time England’s batting coach, when a 14-year-old Athanaze made his first trip to England, playing for Barking and the Essex academy.
For Athanaze, the top-scorer at the Under-19 World Cup 2018, his future as the anointed linchpin of West Indian batting has been both a long time coming and something that has happened all in a rush. His international debut came in an ODI in the UAE in June 2023, when he was capped in all three formats. And if the praise for his stylish approach has flowed, it hasn’t yet been backed by the weight of runs. https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/alick-athanaze-have-not-set-the-world-on-fire-but-that-is-something-i-am-looking-to-do-1443602
