PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — West Indies’ rising fast-bowling star Jayden Seales has made it clear that his heart belongs to Test cricket, declaring that no amount of franchise league riches, not even the glitzy Indian Premier League (IPL), could lure him away from the longest format.

Fresh off being named Man of the Series in the One-Day International (ODI) series against Pakistan, the 23-year-old Trinidadian emphasised his unwavering commitment to the West Indies Test side during an interview on
iSports, hosted by Andre Errol Baptiste on i95.5 FM on Thursday.

Seales, whose fiery pace and precision have made him a standout in the Caribbean attack, left no room for doubt about his priorities.

“I don’t think anything could get me away from Test cricket, nothing whatsoever,” he says. “It would have to be a doctor saying, ‘Look, you can’t play Test cricket no more because your body can’t handle it.’ But there’s no way I would give up Test cricket to play any prime-time cricket.”

While acknowledging the allure of T20 leagues like the IPL, Seales insisted that West Indies duties will always come first.

“I’ll have a conversation with the authorities on whether they would allow me to go and play [in the IPL], because during the IPL there’s no international cricket being played at that time,” he says. “But I don’t think I’ll pull out of West Indies duties to go and play in any leagues, especially Test cricket. Test cricket is my main focus.”

Seales, who has quickly become a leader in the West Indies pace attack with Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph, revealed his burning ambition to climb the ICC rankings and help revive West Indies cricket.

“I want to be number one in the world, and I want to help West Indies get back to where we want to be — or at least put my best effort out every single time I step onto the field in my whites and my baggy maroon cap,” he says.

He praised the cohesion within the current pace trio, which has been labelled one of the most potent in world cricket.

“We work well together,” he says. “We all understand our roles, our skills, and when to attack or defend. We have a close relationship so it’s very easy to go to work together.”

Drawing inspiration from West Indies legend Dwayne Bravo, Seales stressed the importance of first lass cricket in shaping world-class players.

“Dwayne Bravo told us young players a couple of years ago, ‘You need first class cricket as a foundation,’ ” Seales says. “Everybody sees Bravo as an IPL star but I watched him excel in Test cricket first. That gave him the foundation to dominate in ODIs and T20s.”

He urged young cricketers to master the basics, emphasising the need for “batsmanship, understanding pressure, and sequencing overs as a bowler”.

Despite recent struggles, Seales remains confident that a turnaround is imminent. “It’s only a matter of time,” he says, backing the current squad’s potential to rise again.