Jones doubtful for Division 3 tourney

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Malachi Jones’ involvement in next year’s ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament remains doubtful.

The Bermuda all-rounder tore ligaments in his left shoulder in a bike accident last September and has yet to take part in the senior national team’s preparations for next April’s tournament to be held on local soil.

Jones met with a physician yesterday who advised him that he will require surgery in order to make a full recovery. However, undergoing surgery would rule the player out of the upcoming WCL Division 3 tournament completely.

The Willow Cuts cricketer believes he can still play without having to undergo surgery.

“I’m going to give it a try,” he said. “It (shoulder) is not giving me too much problems right now and he (physician) said if it’s (tournament) that important then I should try and see how long I can make it through. I will go training in January and see what happens because I can bowl and throw but it’s just the batting part. It’s just the power hitting that’s affecting me.

“I feel about 60 percent okay and if all goes well I may be around 80-85 percent fit and should be able to make it.”

Added Jones: “I could play as just a bowler and field. Even if I’m able to bat 50 percent I’m still going to be able to bat better than half the other people there batting at 100 percent. I could go into the tournament not as a genuine all-rounder but as a bowler and a lower order batsman whereas If I’m coming to the wicket at number 11 and someone is set on 60 they will have confidence in me to rotate the strike and pick up singles.”

Jones, who claimed a wicket with his very first delivery on his ICC World Cup debut in Trinidad in 2007, was named in a 43-member training squad ahead of next year’s WCL Division 3 tournament last September.

The top cricketer has yet to turn up for cricket practice but has played football this season for Premier Division Somerset Trojans, scoring a hat-trick in the Dudley Eve Trophy champion’s 3-0 demolition of Southampton Rangers at the weekend.

Asked why he hasn’t trained with his senior national cricket squad team-mates, Jones replied: “I haven’t been training because I was waiting to see what the doctor said first.”

He also downplayed the risk of further damaging the torn ligaments in his shoulder playing football.

“It’s not much difference playing football from going cricket training,” he said. “In cricket training you are diving around and doing drills so I can still mess it (shoulder) up.

“Cricket training won’t be any different because it’s the same amount of risk. I’m just trying to get my shoulder right for April and hopefully I will be able to be back and ready.”

Bermuda’s senior national squad will take part in a training camp in Barbados next month ahead of March’s Americas Division 1 Twenty20 tournament in Florida.

Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) are expected to announce further details on the upcoming training exercise in the Caribbean Island in the near future.

Squad members will also be put through their paces during another training camp to be held on local shores in the final lead up to April’s ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Division 3 tournament which Bermuda is hosting.

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