Alton Crafton, Coach of St Lucia’s national U15 cricket team believes Theo Edward with the right guidance and work ethic has the potential to become a West Indies player in the next few years.

The 15-year-old student of the St Lucia Sports Academy, who in 2019 expressed his ambition to one day play for the West Indies, scored four consecutive centuries in the recent WINLOTT Windward Islands Cricket Board U15 Tournament that helped guide his side to the title playing undefeated.

Edward had scores of 198, 101, 137 and 104 for a total of 540 runs and average of 135.

“Even if you are playing in your backyard, you might score one 100, but four in a row?” said Crafton, who was impressed with Edward’s output during the tournament declaring that he is confident that the all-rounder can make it all the way to the top.

“Certainly. If he just follows the right pathway and have the correct influence around him, for sure.”

Speaking with Sportsmax.TV days after the conclusion of the tournament, the proud coach revealed that while it is still early days young Edward is always showing signs that already has many of the tools needed to become a successful international cricketer.

“He knows his game and he keeps his game very simple,” he said.

“You wouldn’t find him going over the top in the first five overs. He’ll get set and play each ball on its merit and he has high levels of concentration. He can focus for long periods of time and he did so exceptionally during the tournament.

“At that age, he is a work in progress, He knows the game. He has a very good pull shot. He drives off the back foot and front foot. There is always room for improvement but what he has now is enough to carry him through.”

Edward and his teammate Leon Alexander, who also enjoyed a successful tournament with both bat and ball practice with Crafton’s training group. The coach reveals that even though both spend time working on their physical skills, they also focus on other critical areas of development.

“We put a lot of emphasis on them (skills) and they get a chance to practice, practice, practice (but) there is a lot of emphasis on the mental space, keeping them in the right direction, letting them know what exactly they are about  and I have no doubt they will go all the way.”

 Crafton said it is essential that Edward keeps the right people around him to ensure that he maintains his discipline and focus and believes he always has that.

“I know for sure he has his dad in his corner. He just needs to keep it narrow and simple to people he can trust and just move on and keep with the hard work,” he said.

For now, he just needs to spend a little more time working on his game while finding a balance with his academics, Crafton said, the rest will take care of itself.

“We will give him all the support that we can give him,” he said.

The bad news we all know; the West Indies’ batting is dreadful!

The good news is that help might just be a few years away in the form of a 15-year-old all-rounder from St Lucia.

Theo Edward on Monday scored his second century in two days while helping his country’s U15 team to a massive 403-run victory over Grenada in the Windward Islands WINLOTT Inc. U15 Tournament currently underway at the Darren Sammy Cricket Stadium in St Lucia.

Team captain Edward, who turned 15 in October, scored 101 from 81 balls as St Lucia scored a mammoth 482-8 from their 50 overs. Meanwhile, his vice-captain Johnathan Daniel raced to 142 from just 91 deliveries and smashed 17 fours and eight sixes.

St Lucia also got half centuries from Aaron St Clair and Codi Fontinelle, who scored 68 and 60, respectively, to set up the massive total.

Xzavian Rock was the best of the Grenadian bowlers with 4-90 from his 10 overs.

Faced with incredible scoreboard pressure, Grenada folded for just 79.

Captain Jayon Henry led from the front with 25 but Rock’s 11 was the only other score in double figures  against Leon Alexander, who snared 3-14 and Edward 2-5 to complete the comprehensive victory.

On Sunday, Edward scored 198 in St Lucia’s 435-6 on their way to a 298-run thrashing of Dominica at the same venue. His knock included 30 fours and six sixes that came from 143 balls.

Alexander (58) and Daniel (54) also contributed half-centuries to the match-winning total.

Lybird Tharoux was the best of the Dominican bowlers with 4-53 from eight overs.

With the exception of Earsinho Fontaine’s 53 and Kenneth Valmon (21), Dominica’s batters had no answer for Alexander (5-23) and Edward (2-13) as their side crumbled to 137 all out in just 27 overs. No other batter made double figures while four failed to score in the lopsided affair.

Edward harbours ambitions of playing for the West Indies and lists Johnson Charles as his hero. On his current path, he just might be the hero the West Indies needs in just a few years’ time.