Delray Rawlins is reaping the benefits for his strong work ethic and is a role model for aspiring local cricketers, according to OJ Pitcher, the Bermuda and St George’s captain.

Rawlins, 19, is enjoying a successful tour of India as part of the England Under-19 squad.

The all-rounder finished the recently concluded five-match Youth One-Day International series, which India won 3-1, as England’s best batsman having amassed 275 runs at an average of 68.75 with one century and a half-century.

He also claimed eight wickets with his slow left arm at an average of 29.87.

Rawlins made a dream start to his England career by stroking a match-winning 107 in the opening ODI and followed that superb innings up with knocks of 46, 96, 9 and 17 — the latter three innings after being promoted to No 4.

“For Delray to be playing for a top nation like England and come out and get a century on his debut as well as two wickets is phenomenal and definitely shows the talent that we do have on the island,” said Pitcher, who played alongside Rawlins with Bermuda at the World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Los Angeles in November last year.

“People say when it comes to cricket and football nowadays that we don’t have the talent we used to or maybe the level of play is not as good as it used to be. But we do have some talent coming up and as we see with Delray he is able to go to the next level and compete.

“He’s a guy that works hard and is reaping the benefits. Just training with him you can see the difference with his work ethic compared to the rest of us as amateurs. You can tell the professionalism with him. The success he is having could be an eye-opener for other youngsters coming up and hopefully they take note.”

Rawlins, who scored a half-century on his Cup Match debut at Somerset in 2014, signed a one-year professional contract with Sussex in September last year. He moved to England five years ago on a programme set up by the Bermuda Cricket Board, and has now qualified through residency to play for England.

“It does hurt a bit that Delray is now playing for England,” Pitcher said. “Obviously I would love to have him, not just for Bermuda, but Cup Match as well. But at the same time you want the best for him and obviously playing for England would be the highest any Bermudian cricketer has ever gone and so that’s much more important.”

Pitcher, who scored a maiden hundred for St George’s on Rawlins’s Cup Match debut, also praised Bermuda team-mate Kamau Leverock, who has impressed with the bat for the ICC America’s Select at the West Indies Cricket Regional Super50 tournament. Leverock has two half-centuries under his belt facing the new ball at the top of the ICC Americas order.

“I am very pleased with Kamau,” Pitcher said. “He is in the Super50 and he’s also doing fairly well. You can also see the professionalism in Kamau.”