Hyatt looking to take game to a higher level

Robert Bailey, Gleaner Writer

On the heels of his recent call-up to the West Indies team to face Pakistan in their one-off Twenty20 match, Jamaica's opening batsman, Danza Hyatt says he is ready to make his mark for the regional team.

Hyatt, a hard-hitting right-handed batsman, was rewarded by the West Indies selectors for his outstanding display in the regional Twenty/20 competitions over the past two seasons.

"Anywhere they put me to bat I will bat," said Hyatt. "I am going do anything to get the team over the line because this will be an honour for me do for the West Indies," said the 27-year-old Hyatt.

"It is a great honour for me to get selected for the West Indies, and then to win the regional four-day title four years straight for the country in the same year is a great achievement for me," Hyatt said.

"I hope that I can just go out there and do myself, family and the West Indies region proud with my performance on the field," he said.

The match against Pakistan will be played next Thursday in St Lucia.

Hyatt, along with members of Jamaica's team which won their fourth straight hold on the WICB Regional Four-day Tournament, returned to the island yesterday. The Jamaicans defeated the Combined Campuses and Colleges by eight wickets in the final in Barbados on Saturday.

"Words can't express the way I am feeling now because we did it last year and we came and did it this year," said a delighted Hyatt, with broad smile on his face.

Collective effort

"I think that the batting unit put their hands up this season, especially the senior players like Nash (Brendan), Marlon (Samuels) and Wavell Hinds and so it was a collective effort from everyone," he said.

However, Hyatt, who scored 413 runs in nine matches at an average of 27 in 16 innings with a top score of 97, was somewhat disappointed with his performance in the competition.

"I know that I have fallen short of my personal targets because I set a tally and I was just over the halfway mark with that," Hyatt said.

"Most of the times I get starts and so I just need to carry on with these starts and be patient out there in the middle," he noted.