BARBADOS Pride batsman Kevin Wickham had tongues wagging at Chedwin Park last week after becoming a rare “immortal” in regional four-day cricket.

The middle-order batsman thrashed stylish knocks of 153 and 108 not out in the Pride’s seven-wicket loss to Jamaica Scorpions.

His second-innings century was his fifth in first class cricket and third at Chedwin Park, after reaching triple figures against Combined Campuses and Colleges at the St Catherine-based venue in 2024.

Kraigg Brathwaite, the Pride captain and former skipper of the West Indies Test team, said the future is bright for the 23-year-old.

“I’ve been very impressed with Kevin from the beginning of the year, even from the 50-over [regional competition] last year. We had trial games and a practise game, and in every game Kevin buckled down and really put his head down,” the veteran batsman told the Sunday Observer during a post-match interview last Wednesday.

“Obviously, he always had a lot of talent. Last year wasn’t the best for him but he has been working hard. It’s really good to see him getting some scores, and I think he is the future of West Indies cricket,” Brathwaite, the out-of-favour Test opener, added.

Robert Haynes, the Scorpions head coach and former West Indies wrist spinner, was also impressed by the young Barbadian batsman.

“I think Wickham making back-to-back centuries was really special. I have seen a lot of maturity in his cricket and I wish him well, because I honestly believe a youngster like this can really move from step to step in terms of West Indies cricket,” Haynes noted.

– Sanjay Myers