Saint Lucia’s Nerissa Crafton is poised to make her mark in regional cricket. Less than a week away from her 26th birthday, the former Windward Islands Under-19 captain received an invitation to join the West Indies Women in Antigua & Barbuda for a training camp from 8-18 August.
Crafton, a batting all-rounder, has been impressive for the Windward Islands and Saint Lucia over the years. And she is understandably over the moon to have fielded the call, vowing that she intends to take full advantage. With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to be played later this year, Crafton is eyeing a spot on the team to Bangladesh.
“Anybody who knows me, knows how much I have been wanting this for a very long time now,” she told St Lucia TIMES. “So I am pretty happy about it, and really looking forward to it. Now that I know I have to work harder than I usually do, now that I have finally got the opportunity to participate in the camp,. right now my goal is to become a regular pick on the West Indies team, actually making the team. World Cup is around the corner, so that is the goal right now.”
‘Breezy,’ as she is known, is the third Saint Lucian woman called up to the West Indies senior team in the past few years, following fellow left-handers Qiana Joseph and Zaida James. Whereas the two younger players are spinners, though, Crafton brings a bit more zing with her medium pace, and is confident with the bat.
“I think it’s the ability to bat and bowl,” she opined. “Once I am able to master them both, I believe I can play a vital role in the West Indies setup as an all-rounder. So if on a day I didn’t get any runs, if they do give me the opportunity, I know I could come good with the ball.”
Rosie Preville, third Vice President of the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association, has worked with Crafton as manager of Team Saint Lucia and the Windward Islands. She expressed hers and the organization’s delight at this achievement, which she claimed as the expected result of the athlete’s performance.
“The National Cricket Association is extremely proud and elated for Nerissa’s selection to the West Indies senior women’s training camp” said Preville. “This does not come as a surprise as she has performed phenomenally for the year thus far. Her talent and work ethic have impressed many. We applaud miss Crafton for her accomplishment, and extend our fullest and continued support to her. We are confident that she has the attributes to excel at the highest level.”
In the Windward Islands Women’s Tournament, played earlier this year in Grenada, Crafton scored 125 runs against Dominica, the only century of the competition. Saint Lucia won both the T20 and 50-over titles. For the tournament as a whole, Crafton was the second-highest scorer with 169 runs, at an average of 33.8, and a 108.33 strike rate.
Speaking on the next steps for Crafton, Eugena Gregg – a former West Indies captain and Cricket Hall of Famer – told the TIMES that with the right approach, anything is possible.
“She must go beyond limits known to impress the selectors,” declared Gregg, “and perform admirably to select herself on the West Indies senior women’s cricket team. As an all-rounder, and with her left-hand asset, she has acquired the basic skills, and now needs the right attitude and mindfulness training to be consistent and remain focused on her approach to excel.”
