Twenty-nine-year-old Jamaican fast bowler Ojay Shields, a former high school PE teacher, received his maiden call-up to the West Indies Test squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour.
Who is Ojay Shields?
The first taste of senior cricket for Shields was with Combined Campuses and Colleges in the 2017/18 Regional Super50 competition. He played four games that season, one in the following term, and three in 2019/20, and only returned to List-A cricket in 2024, representing Jamaica.
It wasn’t until 2023 that he played his first first-class game, taking the field for Jamaica against Barbados after getting picked mainly for his raw pace. He didn’t really set the pitch on fire, picking up just five wickets in six innings at 50.20. The following season was slightly better as the right-arm fast bowler returned 15 wickets in 11 innings at 32, and then another 12 in 10 innings at 36.66 the next term.
These weren't great numbers per se, but with CWI taking a horses-for-courses approach for the upcoming New Zealand tour (with left-arm spinner Khary Pierre excluded), Shields was called up to their two-week high-performance camp in Antigua. He impressed the selectors with his pace at the camp, and with green and bouncy pitches expected in New Zealand, he was handed his maiden call-up.
Not too long ago, he held the post of the PE teacher at Enid Bennett High School in Jamaica. Ahead of his first-class debut, Shields' bowling was described by Jamaica Scorpions coach Andrew Richardson as "pure gas". He has 34 wickets in 16 first-class games at 37.08, and will hope to improve on those numbers on more conducive surfaces in New Zealand.
Kemar Roach recalled to West Indies Test squad for New Zealand tour
Shields was among the 15 players picked by Cricket West Indies for their upcoming tour of New Zealand. The Caribbean unit are scheduled to play three Tests, starting December 1. He forms part of a rather new-look pace bowling unit for the West Indies, with veteran Kemar Roach recalled to add experience. The 37-year-old last played Test cricket in January earlier this year against Pakistan.
Both Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph miss out due to injuries, leaving Shields with a solid chance to make his Test debut in New Zealand. Roach and Shields, along with the other Test players, joined the rest of the West Indies squad, currently in New Zealand for the ongoing ODI series, on November 20.
They are scheduled to play a two-day tour game against a New Zealand XI in Christchurch, starting November 26.
West Indies squad for New Zealand Tests: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope (wk), Tevin Imlach (wk), Brandon King, Johann Layne, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Ojay Shields.
Image courtesy: Ojay Shields/Instagram
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
