Athanaze: 'Haven't set the world on fire as yet but that is something I'm looking to do'

There is something about Alick Athanaze. Something that led the great Brian Lara to describe Athanaze, his successor at No. 4 in West Indies' Test line-up, as the "most talented" batter in the current team. Something that caught the eye of Ian Bishop, prompting him to say Athanaze "could be a leading light in years to come" after he made 47 on debut against India last year.

Something that was spotted by Graham Gooch, at the time England's batting coach, when a 14-year-old Athanaze made his first trip to England, playing for Barking and the Essex academy.

For Athanaze, the top-scorer at the Under-19 World Cup 2018, his future as the anointed linchpin of West Indian batting has been both a long time coming and something that has happened all in a rush. His international debut came in an ODI in the UAE in June 2023, since when he has been capped in all three formats. And if the praise for his stylish approach has flowed, it hasn't yet been backed by the weight of runs.

After five Test appearances, Athanaze is still to make a half-century; that 47 on his home ground in Dominica remains his highest score. Yet he stood out once again, albeit in reduced circumstances, as West Indies fell to an innings defeat at Lord's to begin their tour of England - whether through the timing of back-to-back drives off Gus Atkinson, or during a compelling mini-duel with James Anderson in the second innings, at the end of which Athanaze became the England man's 703rd Test wicket.

No one scored more in the match for West Indies than Athanaze's 45 - though that in itself highlighted a problem for the tourists, with several batters showing fight but none going on to produce a substantial score.

"It felt good getting in and getting through the tough period, but obviously as a player you feel disappointed that you actually got in and then didn't carry on," Athanaze tells ESPNcricinfo.

"It was quite challenging [facing Anderson]. He obviously knows the ground, knows the conditions well. It was quite challenging coming from the Caribbean and facing that sort of spell when the ball is doing a lot, and the lights were on as well. A lot was in his favour but it was good. I may not have loved getting out but he is a quality bowler and I was definitely not his first."

Like many of his team-mates in an inexperienced batting line-up, Athanaze is learning on the job - but he carries an extra burden on his slender shoulders. Not that he seems too weighed down by it all, as he smiles and answers questions while pulling apart an orange seated in the shade of the Bridgeford Road Stand at Trent Bridge, venue for the second Test.

"It fills you with confidence, obviously, but there is some sort of pressure when you have these legends looking up to you and knowing you could do well, and obviously I didn't get the start that I wanted to get," he says.

"It felt like a lot of pressure. But I look at life differently. In cricket, a lot of the time batters fail more than they succeed. I haven't got the start that I wanted to on this stage, but I'm being honest in myself, I'm working hard, trying my best to get better, and trying to look at the one-percenters. I try my best to block off the outside noise and focus on my game. I'm happy that they look at me that way but it's really about me trying to get better and performing.

"That is the challenge for me, mentally, trying my best to stay within my game and not looking at the expectations of people outside."

As Lara said before the start of the tour, West Indies need Athanaze to "jump a couple of steps very quickly" and start churning out big runs before he has got used to life at the highest level (and this is while trying to juggle three formats, having only made his T20 debut in last year's CPL). "I haven't done as well as I've wanted to, definitely in the Test arena," Athanaze admits. But with two more Tests to come in England, there is one thing firmly in his sights.

"That is always the goal, I really want that Test hundred. Sometimes I think I try too hard, but that comes with learning on the job. But I would really love a Test hundred. Getting through tough periods and batting, sometimes it's not really about the runs - it's about me getting through tough periods mentally. That is what I'm looking for on this tour."

And what has he learned about his red-ball game almost exactly a year on from Test debut? "That the name is definitely worth it: Test cricket. It has been a test. Some people say, play your game but normally you have to be a lot more disciplined than the one-day game. What I've learned about Tests is you have a lot more time than you think, [but] also bowlers have a lot more time to work you out. So probably be a bit more disciplined, and try to learn as quickly as you can. And obviously enjoy the game."

Athanaze's link to England comes via his coach back home, Sam Kirnon, who played county cricket for Glamorgan and then in the club game with Chingford, where Dan Lawrence, currently the spare batter in England's squad, grew up (Athanaze has never been to Chingford but does know Lawrence). He credits Kirnon with opening his eyes to the technical and tactical side of the game, and has demonstrated his leadership potential with Windward Islands, where he was made captain at 24.

"I enjoy captaincy, responsibility brings out the best in me," he says. "I consider myself a good leader, because whenever I play I tend to look at how I can get the best out of players. I would consider myself a bubbly player, where I'm good with everybody, I chat with everybody. Normally I like to chat cricket with everybody. Captaincy has definitely lifted my game and allowed me to try to explore my game and get better."

Back when he was a 19-year-old, Athanaze spoke about wanting to help West Indies "get our standards back" in Test cricket. And while the environmental sciences degree that he also planned to do is for now on hold - "I started but then I broke into international cricket. It's still there, I could always go back to doing it online" - his passion for resurrecting West Indies' Test fortunes remains a driving force. Brian, Bish and the rest would doubtless approve.

"I honestly think that Test cricket is the real deal. Nothing gets better than Test cricket. You play a T20 game and it's over in a couple of hours, when you play Test cricket people will come and actually see how good of a player you are. I haven't set the world on fire as yet but that is something I'm looking to do and we, as a group, that is our main goal. This team right here, you can see the hunger where we want to take the cricket back up."