INTERVIEW
Follow UsWhat's that one celebration that you will always remember?
Kesrick Williams and his 'notebook celebration' that broke the internet when he dismissed Virat Kohli in a T20I clash in Jamaica back in 2017.
Later on, it even provoked Kohli to imitate his celebration in 2019 in Hyderabad, a duel that the streets will never forget, earning Williams overnight fame in India. But there is more to Williams than just that duel, for he has been one of the best bowlers in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) history.
Cricket.com caught up with the man from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at The Dugout sports bar in Kolkata to discuss his current endeavours, his relationships with West Indies cricket, his mysterious disappearance from the CPL after the 2022 edition and much more.
Here are the excerpts from the interview:
How did you fall in love with this game?
I started my cricket career by playing in the streets of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and I am pretty sure that’s how a lot of cricketers start playing the game, even in India too.
What made me fall in love with cricket was a match between England and the West Indies, which I saw at Arnos Vale in 1996 (England and West Indies played against each other in 1998). But I fell in love with cricket for all the wrong reasons, like popularity, fan following, money, cars, and limelight.
It was only after I started playing cricket that I realised that all those things would follow 'if you play the game well'.
My sister and my mum would play cricket for my community team, and they would destroy everybody. You can say that’s where the inspiration came from.
You last played for the West Indies in 2020. Where do you see yourself in terms of international cricket?
I don’t see myself playing international cricket anymore, even if I have a chance to do so. I don’t have any more energy for politics in sports and not being comfortable around people. While I was on that team, it was like I was there but still not there.
I remember the first year that I played for the West Indies. If the tour was one week away, I would start packing one week before itself. I was that happy.
But then it turned so bad that even if the tour started tomorrow, I would hardly have the enthusiasm to pack a day before. So no more West Indies, I just want to play league cricket and enjoy the rest of my playing career.
You were one of the best bowlers in CPL. However, we have not seen you in the last two seasons. Can you give us a peek into what might have transpired behind the scenes?
The last time I played CPL was in 2022. Before that CPL, I attended a camp in England and worked a lot on my bowling. I was feeling better, [had] lost some weight and had improved my accuracy.
However, on the second day of the CPL 2022, I heard that my uncle, from whom I had learned everything about cricket, passed away. Next week, my father was diagnosed with fourth-stage cancer. It happened to be one of the worst CPLs for me.
I took eight wickets in six games. In the CPL, I was always either the best or second-best bowler for the team I played for, but that did not happen that year.
My father died in December that year, and I buried him on 8th January. Exactly a month later, on 8th February, I received a call from a very close friend, asking why I was not retained by St Lucia [Kings] and whether I was moving to the next team.
Nobody ever called me and I was dropped from St Lucia without any information. The people whom I considered as my big brothers never really called me. Few people did reach out to me like Jason Holder, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell and Fabian Allen. Shoutout to them.
So, I missed out in 2023, and I was injured in 2024. But hopefully, 2025 will be a new year for me.
Where do you think West Indies miss out during the World Cups, despite having one of the best talent pools in T20 cricket?
The West Indies have a lot of power, but firepower alone will not win tournaments. What we lack in the Caribbean is the technology, the facilities, and people who are not biased and who are not running after players to ruin their careers.
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out on our content — big time. Download the App here
