Former New Zealand international helps HPC spinners

Former New Zealand international Paul “Wiz” Wiseman on Friday wrapped up a spin bowling camp with members of the Saint Lucia Cricket High Performance Centre (SLCPHC), along with other up-and-coming spinners from the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association’s youth programmes.

Wiseman played 40 international matches for the Black Caps, including 25 Tests, during the course of which he picked up 73 wickets. His right-arm off-breaks also earned him 466 scalps from 186 games in a 17-year First Class career. 

This initiative is the latest effort by the cricket federation and SLCHPC to upskill the nation’s young players and set them on the path to regional representation. The SLCHPC also employs former Windward Islands spinner Larry Edward as an assistant bowling coach.

“I think basically the pitches that you have over here are conducive to spin bowling,” Wiseman said. “And if you look at Test cricket, we’re starting to get extremes in pitches, and you get extremes with spin wickets. So we’re going to need spin bowlers coming through over here to exploit those conditions. So I think that’s a big part of it. 

“And also, I think it’s a very important part of [the Caribbean Premier League] in the T20 game here. Spin bowling has been very successful over all the years it’s been around. So spin bowling is a hugely important part of West Indies cricket.”

Having worked to help develop spinners for the Black Caps and White Ferns, Wiseman said he has seen a great deal of talent on show during his short time in Saint Lucia. He relished the opportunity to share his knowledge and to give some of his fellow tweakers tips on how to improve their craft.

“We’ve been lucky enough to have guys from the HPC and also from outside of it to have a look at all the talent around, and there’s a lot,” he said. “It’s really, really impressive. There’s some really, really good raw talent and some more refined talent as well. So, I’m really looking forward to working with those guys, and hopefully we can add some value to them.”

Along with Edward and SLCHPC head coach John Eugene, Wiseman held one-on-one sessions, spending most of the week in the nets at Mindoo Phillip Park. He also collaborated closely with the coaching team, and on Friday, some of the more senior bowlers got a chance to showcase what they had learned against batters from the Windward Islands Volcanoes.