HEYSIDE and Royton will be hoping former West Indies Test cricketer Devon Smith doesn’t hit them for six in the forthcoming season.
Greenfield Cricket Club has announced the capture of Devon Smith, who made the last of his 38 Test appearances in 2015, as their professional for their campaign in division 1A of the Greater Manchester League.
They have drafted in the 36-year-old as a replacement for South African Yaseen Valli who had to pull out due to injury and an issue getting a visa.
It is a coup for the Ladhill Lane club as Chris Gill, last season’s captain explained: “It is not everyday that a club like ourselves gets the chance to sign a player who had approaching 40 Test appearances.
“It was a surprise to land him, and it all came about through an agent I know.
“He isn’t a stranger here as last season he played for Scholes in the Huddersfield League. I spoke to somebody who played in the same side and he told me how impressive he was.”
Smith, who has qualified as a coach, was initially described as an “intelligent left-handed opening batsman from Grenada”.
He was drafted into the West Indies squad ahead of the Test series against India in March 2002, after making 750 runs for Windward Islands in the Busta Cup, though he made his debut 13 months later against a far tougher opponent.
In his first Test, against Australia at Georgetown in 2003, Smith scored 62 runs in a loss.
In 2004, he was selected to open against England, and scored a magnificent century.
But after becoming a regular, a freak net injury left him with a fractured thumb and he missed the next two Tests.
He was axed after another failure in the Test series against Australia in 2005-06.
Smith returned to prominence during the 2011 World Cup during which he opened in the absence of the injured Adrian Barath.
He scored his maiden one-day hundred in West Indies’ group match against Ireland and got two more half-centuries in the tournament.
Smith’s last of 38 Test appearances came in 2015. He also featured in 47 one-day internationals and six T20 games for West Indies.
Last season Smith played 17 matches for Scholes in the Huddersfield League, scoring 855 runs at an average of 57.