TEVIN Imlach was born on November 30, 1996, to Louis and Simone Imlach. He attended Rama Krishna Primary School, where he played his first ‘real’ cricket match and scored 59.
The 28-year-old West Indies Test player said that it was how his interest in cricket was ignited.
“I was in the newspapers for that performance. That is my earliest memory of playing competitive cricket.”
According to Imlach, he and his two sisters grew up in a tightly knit family with loving parents.

“I had a fun childhood growing up in Cummings Park, Sophia, where there were a lot of kids. We played cricket and football in the Streets. We used to go swimming…there was a Cane field not far from where we lived.
My sisters and both parents were always there for me…they played an integral role in what I am today. They worked hard to give us what we needed, and I am so proud of them for what
they would have achieved throughout the years. Two hard- working people, dedicated to making the kids and their lives better.
It was a joyous time growing up in Sophia…I had a lot of friends,” Imlach remembered.

“As long as I can remember, I have always loved cricket. We played a lot of games growing up, and cricket was one of them.
I was good at it, one of my dad’s friends…Orin Bailey…he was a member of DCC and recommended that club, and that’s where it all started.
I joined Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) at age 11 and played Under-13. Cricket took over my

life, and that’s how I developed into what I am today. Growing up, I played all sports in the Community.
I remember scoring my first hundred in a second division game at GYO,” posited Imlach
In Multan this year, Imlach was the first Guyanese Test wicket- Keeper in Pakistan since 1962, when Ivor Mendonca played.
Milton Pydanna, who played in two ODIs in 1980, was the last Guyanese wicket-keeper to play in Pakistan.

Imlach never played U-15 or U-17 cricket for Guyana and was not a wicket-keeper.
“I started keeping in my last year at U-19. I have always had good hands, catching in the slips…I was a good fielder.
DCC needed a wicket-keeper for the second division team. I did the job, and the guys said I could keep.
But wicket-keeping was not my first love… I loved fielding, but I stayed with it because I was doing a decent job.
In his final year at the U-19 Level, Imlach said ‘let me give it a shot, since I was a

good batter and wanted to add another arrow to my bow. I bowled a bit of medium pace with dodgy action. I wasn’t going to get far with bowling. Luckily for me, keeping went way better
than I expected.’
Imlach said when he made the Guyana and West Indies U-19 teams, it was like a fairy tale for him. He joined Cyril Christiani (1930s), Clifford McWatt (1950s), Rohan Kanhai (1957), Ivor Mendonca (1962) as Guyanese who ‘kept’ in Test cricket.
Imlach’s favourite batter is Kane Williamson because of his temperament and the ease with which he scores without blasting the ball. He says that he loves both batting and
keeping, but gives the edge to batting.

Imlach, whose favourite shot is the pull, says his most memorable moment is winning the 2016 U-19 World Cup under the captaincy of fellow Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer.
This is the only time since 1988 that the West Indies have won a U-19 World Cup.

“Winning that was on the World Stage, although it was only U-19, you were a part of the best team in the world.
Making my Test debut and winning the 2025 First-Class title also ranks very high for me because it was not an easy job, and winning this once again is special.” Informed Imlach, who took
over the captaincy reins in 2024 from the Region’s most successful First-Class captain, Leon Johnson, who won six titles, the first five in a row.
Imlach made his First-class debut in 2018 against the Windwards in St Lucia.

“Leon is someone I have been around for some time now, and have been able to see how he does things. I still reach out to
him from time to time for advice, and one thing he says is to trust your gut. This has helped with clarity when making a decision, especially when being pulled in different directions…you have to do what you feel is right…trust your gut.
Managing different personalities is maybe the biggest challenge of captaining Guyana. As with any group, you have to learn how to get through to guys, how to approach a conversation,
because different people respond to different things in different ways,” explained Imlach, whose favourite format is 50 overs.

“Fifty-overs cricket is a mixture of T20 and Test cricket, and depending on where the game is at, you might need to be more defensive or more attacking or, at times, find a balance in between.
It moves at a different pace…different pitches offer different challenges. What might be a good score on this pitch might not be a good score on another pitch. You have to show match
awareness and be able to adjust and adapt to different situations. That’s why 50-over is my favourite format,” revealed Imlach, who has seven fifties in 34 50-over matches since making his debut for West Indies ‘B’ against Canada in 2018.
Imlach said that he was not surprised to make his debut in Pakistan, where he held five catches and had a stumping in the two Tests in addition to making 34 on a pitch which was turning
square.
“It was something I have been working towards and trying to improve my skills to do well at that level. I had travelled with the team for over a year and had not played until then. So I was looking forward to it and staying ready.
I did well in the practice game. I feel I have a good understanding of playing spin. I was not surprised, but it was a special feeling.
The pitch was very challenging, there was no relaxation period… every ball was a challenge…you had to fight. It made me a better player overall, understanding that every ball could
be a battle. It forced me to concentrate more and be locked in on every ball.

In those conditions, a 30 felt like a fifty and a fifty like a hundred, so on pitches better for batting, you know you have to capitalise and score big runs. That was one of the things I
took away from Pakistan,” continued Imlach.
After missing the first match due to West Indies duties, Imlach
returned to score the first of his three tons for the season, in which he made 538 runs at an average of 67.25 and had 20
dismissals with the gloves.

“It is important that if you play at the highest level, to show that you have learnt something. If you come back and do the same thing as before, it means that you are not improving. So I
believe that if you play at the Test level, you must show it at the regional level,” said Imlach, who averages 36.73 with six hundreds and seven fifties in 30 first-class games with 57
catches and seven stumpings.
“I believe I have what it takes to do the job of West Indies Captain. It is something I enjoy doing. I have done it for two years for Guyana, and now I have a good understanding of the
game and the approach I would like to take and have my style of leadership.

To represent the West Indies in any capacity is an honour, but I would not be opposed to it (Captaincy). I think I have what it takes,” Imlach stated.
Imlach joins Sir Clive Lloyd, Carl Hooper, and Roger Harper with two titles when he led Guyana to its 15th title and 8th in the last 10 seasons.
The Guyana Captain feels that all-weather facilities are needed to lift the standard of cricket in Guyana.
“As I speak with you now, it’s raining. We need all-weather facilities… this is, I feel, our biggest challenge. We have good cricketers, people who want to play the game, but if it rains on
Thursday, there is no cricket on Saturday.

The biggest challenge for us in Guyana is the weather, so we need more indoor facilities so guys could go and work on their game.
It might not be playing a match, but you could go and practise, work on your skills and improve and then go into the game and implement what you worked on. I think it is something that
needs to be addressed and implemented to improve the skills of the players and the overall standard of local cricket,” concluded Imlach.