Lawes relishes growth

In a tournament where experience often trumps youth, Jamaica Kingsmen teenage wrist-spinner Vitel Lawes is rewriting the script.

Following the franchise’s second consecutive victory in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the young tweaker spoke with The Gleaner about his rapid adaptation to the big stage and the mindset that drives him.

After a rocky start to the campaign, the Kingsmen have steadied the ship with back-to-back victories, the latest coming against the Patriots.

For Lawes, who has featured in four games so far, the journey has been nothing short of an education.

“I mean, it was a very good learning experience, you know, over the four games we played here.

“I learnt how to bowl on this Sabina Park pitch. It was a good pitch, and I think in the back end of games, I adapted really well. It shows that I’m learning every game, and that’s a positive thing for me.”

The 19-year-old has already showcased a maturity beyond his years, particularly in his ability to read surfaces. When asked about the specific technical adjustments he has made, Lawes was candid about the nuances of CPL wickets.

“Basically, pulling back my lengths, certain pitches, good lengths works and on certain pitches it doesn’t work.

“So you have to learn to adapt to the surface of play. I think I did that really well over the four games.”

Despite being one of the youngest players in the squad, Lawes is already being viewed as a trump card, a strike bowler capable of breaking partnerships and turning matches.

However, the teenager insists that the pressure associated with that role is nothing new and is one he embraces willingly.

“No, in any team I go, I’m going to be known as a match-winner, as a person who can flip a game. That’s something I had in my mind, in the back of my mind, in any form of the game I’m playing.

“So it’s just for me to embrace my role, do the basics, execute, and be comfortable.”

That comfort, Lawes revealed, is largely a product of the environment fostered by the Kingsmen franchise. Unlike set-ups that might crush a youngster’s spirit with the fear of failure, the Kingsmen have given him the freedom to express himself.

“They make me feel at home, so they get the best out of me,” he said. “They have allowed me to have room for error. Because I’m still young and still learning, that room for error helps me to learn faster.”

That supportive culture has translated directly into results on the field. Lawes noted that the advice he has received from coaches and senior players has “paid dividends”, both with bat and ball.

The Kingsmen’s turnaround began with a massive psychological boost in the form of a victory over the defending champions. Lawes acknowledged that the win has injected the squad with new-found confidence, but he is wary of the pitfalls of overconfidence.

“That gave us a lot of confidence going forward. It could be a positive or a negative thing, it could be going to a game overconfident, and that could be a downfall,” he warned. “So we have to use this new-found confidence wisely.”

As the CPL progresses, the Kingsmen will be hoping that the “room for error” Lawes speaks of continues to shrink, not because he is restricted, but because his rapid development transforms promise into performance.