Three excited young cricketers are hoping to make the Bermuda starting XI when the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Sub-Regional Qualifier starts on island tomorrow.

Isaiah O’Brien and Luke Horan are celebrating their first call-up at senior level, while Zerai Tomlinson (formerly Zeri Tomlinson) is back after playing for Bermuda against Italy, Jersey, Kenya and Uganda as a 15-year-old in August 2022.

O’Brien’s reputation has been growing steadily. An all-rounder for St David’s, he showed his capabilities with an unbeaten 92 runs against Southampton Rangers in the Premier Division T20 Knockout Cup last Sunday.

His uncle George O’Brien and aunt Terry-Lynn Paynter have both played international cricket and the 18-year-old is excited to follow in their footsteps.

“It’s an honour being called up to the senior team, especially it’s also a family thing,” O’Brien told The Royal Gazette.

“A lot of my family has been part of the national programme, and I enjoy playing for Bermuda. I’m looking to contribute runs and wickets. My strength right now is batting. I’ve got a heavy role in the St David’s team to bat.

“It’s nice that I get to play with guys that I grew up watching and it’s always an honour playing with guys like Delray Rawlins and a few of the other senior guys.

“I’ve watched them in most parts of the world and I flew to Dubai to watch them play when they were there.”

Horan has spent two years perfecting his craft at King’s College Taunton in Somerset, England.

“It’s just super exciting being a part of a team with a lot of experience,” the 17-year-old said.

“There’s a lot to look forward to with this team. It’s mixed with the young and experienced players, which is quite exciting and there’s a lot we can do in the next couple of months and years.

“I’ve enjoyed bowling in the death overs this season. I’m nailing my yorkers and slower balls, that sort of stuff, but also with the bat coming in later and striking that 150 per cent strike rate and keep taking it along.

“We have quite a strong top order, so I’d like to think I can come in late and just consistently hit those boundaries and run those twos and threes.

“If I get a chance, I’d love to contribute but in this team, it will probably be more with the ball, but if the opportunity does present itself with the bat, then I’ll be more than happy to try and take that.”

Tomlinson is back home for the summer after completing his first year as a student at Nottingham Trent University in England. He also played club cricket for Papplewick and Linby Cricket Club.

“I feel a lot more confident now,” the 19-year-old said.

“I played when I was 15, only having played senior cricket in Bermuda for a year. Now I’ve probably grown a lot more in a lot of different aspects of the game.

“It’s a completely different game at this level and teams assess you very fast. They work out that we don’t play spin very well, so we’ve had to work on that and I’ve worked on that on a personal level.

“I’m excited to see how I do against some teams at this level and play against spin.”

Tomlinson will be fighting for the wicketkeeper/batter role with the experienced Sinclair Smith.

“In every team, you always want to play,” he said.

“I enjoy training with Sinny [Sinclair Smith], so I feel like even if I wasn’t playing, I’d always watch him keep as I’ve always looked up to him for his energy and tried to learn from him. Sinny is very loud and I just want to replicate what he does.”

Nzari Paynter is in line for his international debut on home turf. The St George’s all-rounder feels his call-up is because of the hard work he has put into his game over the years.

“I’m very grateful for this opportunity,” the 26-year-old said.

“It’s always an honour to be able to represent your country, so I’m just grateful to the selectors and the coaches for giving me this opportunity.

“I don’t think I’ve done anything differently other than perform. It’s just I trusted my process, I trained hard, kept my head down and eventually I started to perform quite well for the club and eventually caught the eye of the selectors and the coaches in the team and they gave me the opportunity.

“I see myself as a bowling all-rounder. I think I can still do the job with the bat, but we have quite a bit of batsmen in the team.

“I’m just hoping to be able to help win the game in any form, whether taking a good catch or picking up a few wickets or getting some runs.

“I’m really keen to do whatever job is necessary to help the team get over the line and get the win.

“It’s been a good week of training and I’ve enjoyed it. We have a lot of great characters in the team, we have youth mixed with experience, and overall, it’s been a great opportunity.”