AFG vs WI | Shamarh Brooks remembers Sir Everton Weekes's advice after scoring a brilliant hundred
Windies batsman Shamarh Brooks spoke about the advice Sir Everton Brooks had given him about playing spin that helped him in scoring a brilliant 111 against Afghanistan in the one-off Test. With Windies struggling at 34-2, Brooks provided a batting masterclass to help Windies take a 90-run lead.
Shamarh Brooks made a comeback into the national team, after having been out of the National selectors' radar after innings against India. With advice from Sir Everton Weekes', right-handed batsman made in-roads in the only Test against Afghanistan, where he scored a brilliant 111 to help the Windies side to a total of 277, including a lead of 90 runs.
The former U-19 skipper dedicated his century and his career revival to Weekes, who advised him how to play on Indian pitches when the Windies batsman was just 13. Windies, with a target of 33, chased down comfortably, winning the Test by 9 wickets. "I guess playing in the India series was a rude awakening for me in terms of playing at this level," Brooks told ESPNCricinfo.
"We were demolished in the series (against India) and our batsmen didn't put up a good show. But I guess to come up with a half-century in my second Test match, for me confidence-wise it did a lot," he further added.
On a spinning track against quality spinners of Afghanistan, Brooks thanked Sir Everton Weekes for his advice on playing spin bowling which helped him to score the brilliant century.
"When I was 13 years old, the great Sir Everton Weekes told me that when you're batting against spin, you have to get very close to it, or very far from it. On a pitch like this against their quality bowlers, I think it was just about trusting your defence. That was important. Looking to spend as much time as possible and just pick off the bad balls. Be happy with a single, look at some balls from the other end. Get accustomed to the pace and how much bounce and turn they're getting on the pitch," he continued.
Brooks battled all the way to his hundred and feels that he does not have the feeling of having lost out on a decade of playing for the Windies. He believes that everyone has their own time to succeed and that his time was now.
"I'm someone who believes in nothing before it's time," he said. "I guess I was highly touted from when I was a young man and I've been through my trials and tribulations, and I think they've definitely helped me in reaching where I am today, so... I would never say, 'No, I wanted it to happen in 2009' [as opposed to 2019]. I think it's happened at the right time," Brooks concluded.