‘Always wanted to be in a World Cup, playing at home is special’

Dec 11, 2021 Sports

---

Throne says goal is to help Windies win U-19 World Cup

By Sean Devers

Kaieteur News – At 17, Berbician Isaiah Throne was one of two Guyanese on the West Indies U-19 tour of England last month for a six-match Youth ODI series.
The genuinely quick fast bowler captured eight wickets from the four matches including two consecutive three-wicket hauls; hitting 85 mph consistently with raw pace.
West Indies fast bowling icon Sir Curtly Ambrose, who took 405 Test wickets from 98 matches, accompanied the Young West Indies team to England as bowling Coach, was high in praise for Thorne’s pace and control.

“It felt great coming from one of my favourite fast bowlers and that has inspired me strive to keep improving on my pace as I continue to learn the skills of fast bowling and work harder to hone my craft,” said Thorne whose favourite fast bowlers are Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall and Jofra Archer.
Thorne has come a long way and gotten stronger and taller since he burst on the scene as a 13 year-old for Berbice in the 2018 GCB U-15 inter-County tournament and is excited to play for the West Indies in the 14th edition of the U-19 World Cup. West Indies are grouped with Sri Lanka, Scotland and Australia.
The 2022 Event will be held in the West Indies from January 14 with the host facing Australia at Providence in Guyana.
“It’s a wonderful feeling…I always wanted to play for West Indies U-19 at a young age and will more special for me since it means a lot that I’ll be feeling more comfortable playing at home,” said Thorne, who has aspirations of joining John Trim and Brandon Bess as Berbicans pacers to play Test Cricket.
Throne will be encouraged by the Tucber Park pair of Romario Shepherd (who has 7 ODIs & 6 T20Is) who is presently in the West Indies ‘white ball’ squad and Nail Smith who has 20 wickets from seven First-Class matches. They both hail from the New Amsterdam/Canje area in East Berbice.
Since West Indies, led by Brian Lara, participated in the first World Cup, won by host Australia in 1988, West Indies have just one title when Shimron Hetmyer, another player from the Canje area, led them to the Cup in 2016 in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh won the last World Cup in New Zealand, while India has the most titles with four World Cups.
In September of this year, Thorne and Nandu returned home after participating in the just concluded West Indies tour of England.
Thorne said since returning from England he has been working really hard on improving his game.
When asked what is the biggest difference playing in England and playing in the Caribbean, Throne said the ball swings for a much longer time there than in the Caribbean.
This is Thorne’s second trip to England; in January 2019, he was picked in a West Indies U-16 squad for a Tour of England to take part in a series of matches sponsored by the Barmy Army.
Thorne explained that for him to continue to improve he must remain disciplined, while adding that his fitness level is most important.
“For the World Cup I intend just keep doing the right things and get the job done for my team. My goal for this tournament is to win the World Cup for the West Indies. I would like to thank God for giving me this opportunity and my mom and dad,” said Throne.
The quickest teenaged bowler in the Caribbean was not always a cricketer and even when he got into cricket he was not a pacer but bowled leg-spin.
Throne lived with his mom for four years in Barbados and informed that his first love was Track & Field. He won gold medals in National School Championships in the U-12 400m and the U-14 High Jump.
An eight-year-old Thorne would go to the Young Warriors Cricket Club which was not too far from where he lived. So it was not too surprising that he would gravitate to cricket in his teenage years.
Thorne attend the Cumberland Canje secondary school where he ‘mostly’ took part in track and field.
“I used to watch a lot of games on TV and from going to the cricket ground and I developed a love for the game and Mr Anil Beharry, Amir Rahaman and my mom kept encouraging me to keep playing,” remembered Thorne, whose hobbies are listening music, watching Football, participating in Basketball and track and field.
“I started at Young Warriors Club and then moved to Tucber Park before joining Rose Hall Canje Club. As I got older I saw that I could get a career in cricket,” continued Thorne.
On August 15, 2018, the UWI, under the Faculty of Sport, with the initiative from the Sagicor UWI cricket High Performance Centre, held a fast-bowling speed test for future pacers, ages 16 to 22 at the Albion ground.
Thorne, then 13, had just played for Guyana at the U-15 level and was also invited to the session. He showed his potential to bowl fast by clocking 72-73 mph.
“In 2018 I played for the first time for Berbice against the President X1. The next year I played for Berbice U15 and U-17 teams.
But because of the Covid, there was no inter-county cricket played last year and this year, so I never got the chance to play U-19 for Berbice,” said Thorne, the only player from Rose Hall Canje to represent West Indies at the youth level.
A year later Throne, Mavendra Dindyal and Ramnauth were the Guyanese selected for the West Indies U-15 team which toured England.
In February 2020, GCB/Dave West Indian Imports and Exports Under-15 Inter County Tournament included Thorne, Dindyal and Ramnauth who had represented the West Indies U15s.
In May 2021 at Providence, in a practice match was organised by the GCB, which was streamed live to give the Regional selectors an opportunity to pick players for a training squad for the U-19 tour to England.
In that game which was affected by rain, General Marine Eagles asked Amazon Hawks to bat. Hawks made 120 in 26.5 overs, while Eagles, in reply reached 124 for 12 in 26. Thorne, showing his control and pace had 3-26.
In December 2021 Former West Indies pacer, Reon King held a fast bowling clinic and was high in praise of Thorne who turned 17 on September 23.

 

---

---