Kingston, June 7: West Indies fast bowler Oshane Thomas is ready to make a mark in Test cricket and said to test his real skills, he has understood he has to do well in the longest format of the game. Thomas, 23, has been picked as a reserve in the West Indies' 25-man squad for their three-Test tour of England next month.

"It was a feeling of joy when I was selected, because I want to play Test cricket," Thomas was quoted as saying by 'Jamaica Gleaner'. "Being home not doing anything and just getting this opportunity to be in England even if I am not playing, I will be training and keeping fit, and so I am really happy for this." Oshane Thomas, West Indies Pacer, Escapes Serious Injury in Car Accident in Jamaica.

Thomas is yet to make his Test debut but has featured in 20 ODIs and 12 T20Is for the Windies since making his debut in 2018. "I was called up in the England Test tour of the Caribbean, before, but I didn't get to make my debut, but hopefully I will soon, or even this time around, because I definitely want to play Test cricket for the West Indies," he said.

"Everyone kept beating it in my head that I can't be bowling that fast and not playing Test cricket. "Me and the coach (Phil Simmons) have had a lot of conversations about playing Test cricket, and so he always tells me that ayou have to be in my team because you can't be bowling that fast and not in the team'," he stated.

He also said he has been doing a lot of work on his fitness during the COVID-19 pandemic and is in excellent shape going into this tour of England. "I have been doing training and I have been doing some bowling here and there at Melbourne Oval on the concrete, in order to stay in shape during this pandemic," Thomas said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 07, 2020 08:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).