…after successful Sir Garfield Sobers Schools Tournament
SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD Ayden Raju scored 220 runs and finished sixth in overall batting aggregate in his maiden Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools Tournament in Barbados last month.
Born to a Guyanese father and a Canadian mother, he made a highest score of an unbeaten 90 in Barbados as he represented New York Tri-State Lynx.
This was the first time that Ayden, who was born in New Jersey and turns 18 on the fifth of next month, had ever played outside of the USA.
“The standard of the grounds was very nice compared to the US and specifically New Jersey. In New Jersey, where I play, the grass is to your ankle, there is no pavilion or dressing room to sit and I never get to play on turf. I only get to play on turf during tournaments and those pitches are not the best. The skill of the players was equal to the players in the USA,” disclosed Ayden who plays for a club in New Jersey.
Ayden said his memorable moment was sharing in a 100-run third wicket stand to lift his team from 22-2 as they chased 188 to win.
The talented batter revealed that he gained several ‘positives’ from the tournament to improve his game as he returned to North America.
“The shots you play on hard wickets are much different than the shots you can play on turf. You have to let the ball come under your eyes; was one of the main things I learnt from my trip to Barbados,” explained Ayden
Ayden’s first choice would be playing for the USA. He said he feels that USA has the players and that the skill level is there.
“Yeah, that’s the dream but it will take a lot of practice and just hitting a lot of balls everyday consistently.
But for the club players to really improve, the grounds need improvement and that’s very hard to do. The challenge is to get good turf wickets and the weather and climate don’t really help with that” Ayden continued.
Ayden was born to Persammy Raju and Annie Raju and is the elder of two children. He attended Saint Joseph High School in New Jersey where no school cricket is played.
“If you wanted to play cricket you have to join an academy. I just graduated from high school and I am going to college this fall (September). I’m studying to be a mechanical engineer” explained the left-hander whose favourite batter is West Indies Captain Shai Hope.
Ayden has three options. He could try to be selected for the USA, Canada or Guyana where, if he is picked for the senior team, will give him the opportunity to play for the West Indies at the Test level. The US or Canada does not have Test status.
Ayden says he would love to try out to represent Guyana but would have to see how the schedule for his college turns out, then he can make a decision.
“My cousin played with Matthew Nandu at the U-19 level in Canada and I know he went on to play for the West Indies U-19 team and First-Class cricket for Guyana. So, he has motivated me to follow his footsteps but it takes a lot of work and sacrifices to balance my studies and go to Guyana to play cricket” Ayden posited.
Nandu, whose father, Arjune Nandu, played for Guyana, has also been picked for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in this year’s CPL which commences today in St. Vincent.
The teenager feels that, with the last T20 World Cup having been played in the United States and the emergence of Major League Cricket (MLC), more boys born in the US will be encouraged to pursue cricket as a career.
“I became interested in cricket from a young age because of my dad who played weekend matches here for fun before I was born.
I always liked hitting the ball at a young age in the backyard and I always was just better of a batter than a bowler. I began to take cricket seriously when I was nine-years-old” added Ayden.
“Coach Earl Daley has been my coach since I was nine years old. He has taught me everything. My parents, especially my dad have always supported me.”
Ayden said that he was grateful for the opportunity and thanked his coach and parents for believing in him.
