Antiguan Peters earns CCC call-up after stellar season

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

Fast-bowling all-rounder Ishmael Peters has been named in the Combined Colleges and Campuses (CCC) squad for the final two rounds of the West Indies Championship.

The CMW New Winthorpes Lions star has been in scintillating form, taking 26 wickets at an average of 15.5, including a career-best 5-30 against Bolans Blasters. His consistent performances have now earned him a well-deserved opportunity at the regional level, which he is eager to grasp.

“It’s exciting for me as it seems that my work hasn’t gone in vain. I’ve trained very hard for an opportunity, and now it’s here. I just hope I’m up to the standard, and I’ll give my best when I get the chance.”

The 24-year-old attributed his success to a renewed focus on fitness and consistency. “This off-season, I took a serious look at my fitness and pushed myself harder. That extra work has helped me stay focused, bowl with more accuracy, and maintain my intensity for longer spells.”

Peters credited former West Indies fast bowler Winston Benjamin, his longtime coach at the Grassroots Cricket Academy, for fine-tuning his game. “He knows my bowling inside out, when to push me, when to hold me back. Whenever I face challenges, he’s the one I turn to.”

Peters and CCC are set to face the West Indies Academy on April 2 and Jamaica on April 9 at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground.