By Akeem Greene
December 9, 2017 in Hamilton, New Zealand will forever be etched into the memory of Raymon Anton Reifer as it was the day he made his Test debut for the Windies. It was the sweetening taste of the pie which has now left the all-rounder yearning for more opportunities to play at the highest level.
After initially being picked in the squad for the three-Test tour to England, Reifer also booked the trip to Africa where the Caribbean side played Zimbabwe in a two-Test series before meeting the black caps.
The momentous occasion came after regular skipper, Jason Holder had to sit out the final Test after he was suspended for a slow-overate offence. His nippy left-arm medium pace was the first piece of his puzzle to be showcased. He got the scalp of Henry Nicholls and ended with figures of 1-36.
With Windies’ back pressed against the wall he displayed great prowess with a gritty and most importantly unbeaten 23, spending a minute shy of two hours at the crease. The second stanza was as improvement to the first, with another batting innings, this time over two hours in the middle.
It is those series of events which has left the Barbadian feeling he can survive and be consistent at the highest level.
“I’m very hungry to play a lot more international cricket and be successful at it. It’s a huge honour to play test cricket obviously something I’m very proud of. I was a bit nervous but once I cross the line all of those nerves went away,” he said on Monday.
Since joining the Guyana Jaguars when the regional First-Class circuit became a professional league in the 2014/15 season, the father of one from Wanders Cricket Club in Christ Church which has produced the notable likes of Ian Bradshaw, Kraigg Brathwaite and Holder among other Windies player, Reifer has been a key figure in the four consecutive titles for the franchise.
His stats speak for itself as in the 28 matches to date he has scored over 1,000 runs and taken 71 wickets. A deeper look into his performances will see since the 2014/15 season, his numbers are always on the upward move.
“I have to thank the Guyana franchise for the opportunities they’ve given me over the past 4 years and I’m very thankful for that. The team environment is good and everyone gets along well and since we play as one. [Captain] Leon [Johnson] has been doing a really good job for us and leading from the front throughout the years.”
In examining the adjustments he needs to apply to his game in order to adapt to international cricket, he outlined discipline as critical.
“In international cricket you have to be a lot more discipline because there’s not much margin for error. You have to be constantly improving if you want to be good and be able to work out things quickly,” the 26 year-old contended.
Winning series against top ranked opponents have become non-existent by the once world dominating men in maroon. The said debut series for the man from St. Lucy proved to be another catastrophe, being served an empty plate after two one-side Tests. It begged the question, is there any light at the end of tunnel for Windies? According to Reifer building team synergy is the first step at a spark.
“The more games we play together we will start to get the results we’re looking for and it is just a matter of time before that happens.”
The season’s final round commences on Thursday and the player plans on using it as another opportunity to continue fine-tuning his technique.
“I haven’t got the returns I’ve be looking for in the first 2 matches [since I’ve returned] but I will continue working a lot on the areas I see the need for improvement.”
Looking ahead to the Super50 which begins January 30, he plans on playing his role in helping the Jaguars win a title after coming up empty handed since 2005.
“We need to keep it simple and play the cricket we know how to play. My Plan for the Super50 is to better my performance at the previous tournament as I continue to develop as a professional.”
