New kid could catch England on hop

OSHANE THOMAS is set to become the latest Jamaican fast bowler to give England nightmares.

He has come through the ranks at Melbourne Cricket Club in Kingston that was once home to the great Courtney Walsh as well as ‘Whispering Death’ Michael Holding.

And should Thomas, as looks likely, make his Test debut in St Lucia today, he will have the support of Walsh, who took the small matter of 519 Test wickets.

“I’ve been talking to Courtney because we are both from the same club,” said Thomas, who has also signed for the Rajasthan Royals. “He has been giving me advice and helping me stay focused. I never got the chance to see him play but I used to hear things about him and how he would stay fit by coming and bowling at the club, and since then we have spoken a lot and he is a great man.”

Thomas is the epitome of the gentle giant off the field as we talk at the team hotel just outside Castries. He has an air of calm about him, but that is not what batsmen can expect to deal with.

He has played just eight firstclass matches but has searing pace that had the Indian batsmen hopping about during his whiteball debuts at the end of 2018, and he will certainly bring more Fire in Babylon this week. “I like seeing batsmen hop about,” said Thomas. “I’m an aggressive bowler, but it is Test cricket so I’m not going to just bowl short.

“There will be plenty of line and length and then the surprise with the short ball.

“I learnt a lot on my first tour to India. It was a rough tour for us but I think I did myself proud. To go to India and play on those flat wickets against Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, it’s tough, but it was a learning curve.”

That tour is what caught the eye of Indian Premier League sides and resulted in a two-day trial for him, Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul at the Rajasthan Royals. Only Thomas was picked up for £120,000 and it means that while the 21-year-old will be steaming in at Ben Stokes (if fit) and Jos Buttler in St Lucia, they will soon be team-mates.

“I’m excited about being a part of the Rajasthan Royals family,” he added. “I’ve met the management and coaches and they’ve made me feel very welcome.

“I’ve spoken to Stokes and we’re good, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Jos yet, but we will all be team-mates soon. Here, though, it is different cricket, so I’ll be going all out against them.”