Unknown, unwavering: Cariah takes unlikely World Cup path

Donald Rumsfeld taught us that there are known unknowns and unknown unknowns, but quite which of those categories Yannic Cariah falls into is, well, hard to know.

West Indies' selection of the journeyman leg-spinning allrounder must rank as one of the most left-field calls in cricket World Cup history.

For one, Cariah has not even been deemed worthy of a game in any of the last six editions of the Caribbean Premier League.

Not that he's particularly hung up about it.

"That's not my fault," a smiling Cariah says of ongoing CPL exclusion. "That's the people who are picking the sides."

Cariah, as becomes apparent in speaking to the softly-spoken, bearded and bespectacled 30-year-old the day after his impressive international debut against Australia, does not get hung up about much.

That trait has undoubtedly been a major factor in legendary former Test opener Desmond Haynes, now the Windies' chief selector, putting the two-time T20 champions' faith in such an unproven commodity for the upcoming World Cup down under.

Playing, as Cariah did on Wednesday on the Gold Coast, in just his fifth career T20 and first in six years against the format's reigning world champions at near full-strength on their home turf is about as daunting as tasks come for newcomers to international cricket.

But, after being presented with his maiden cap before play by fellow Trinidadian spin bowler Akeal Hosein, he settled immediately.

After going past the outside edges of Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell within his first three balls, he dismissed Maxwell with his fourth with a turning leg-break that deceived perhaps Australia's most accomplished short-form batter against spin. 

Cariah, who counts another late-blooming Trinidadian leg-spinner Samuel Badree as a mentor, finished as the most economical bowler in the match in an assured debut outing.

"I saw the wickets playing in the nets, and I figured out which lengths were best for me to bowl for my style of bowling," said Cariah.

"I adapted really quickly on the middle wicket. It made it better for me seeing the Australians bowl first. I saw (fellow leg-spinner Adam) Zampa bowling and the lengths he was bowling.

"I knew that with my style of bowling, if I hit my areas it's going to be difficult for any batter to play."

Cariah knows that being unknown can be advantageous, particularly in modern cricket where coaches and analysts pore over data and footage of players to uncover weaknesses.

He is also wise enough – and confident enough – to believe he might not be unknown for too long.

"It's always an advantage if someone doesn't know you," he said.

"The most challenging thing is when people get to know you, how you can stay at that level, maintain that level and get even better. That's the most challenging part of any sport. I'm looking forward to that challenge."

Yet, exactly how Cariah has flown so far under the radar for so long remains mysterious, even to him.

A product of Queen's Park Cricket Club, owners of the international venue synonymous with legendary Trinidadian Brian Lara, Cariah struck a century against Sri Lanka at the 2010 Under-19 World Cup where he played against the likes of likes of future stars Ben Stokes, Josh Hazlewood, Jos Buttler and Babar Azam.

He swiftly graduated to first-class cricket with Trinidad and Tobago, taking a five-wicket haul in just his fourth game, but struggled to hold his spot as a leg-spinner and instead re-emerged as a batter and more occasional bowler.

"I put more emphasis on my batting," explained Cariah, who has five first-class centuries to his name from 71 games. "I came back and made my comeback as a batsman. After, my batting took off but my bowling was always there. I kept getting better and better over a period of time."

His quiet leadership, too, has not gone unnoticed during a decade-long domestic career, despite the T20 revolution that has upended the economics of cricket in the Caribbean passing him by almost completely until now.

Picked as an elder statesman captain of an Emerging West Indies team that has taken part in the regional 50-over competition, Cariah led the side to the title in 2019 and was player of the match in the final.

It helped funnel him into a depleted Windies ODI side against New Zealand earlier this year and, again, he delivered a notable performance; coming in at 6-27 in his maiden international innings, Cariah scored a team-high half-century and shared in the Windies' highest ever ninth-wicket ODI partnership.

Image Id: 3F103D52115E443B98C68427AB5F63DA Image Caption: Cariah celebrates his century during the Under-19 World Cup in 2010 // Getty

Now he's in Australia for a World Cup – and some believe he might even be in the mix to make his Test debut against Australia later this summer.

It is a remarkable story of perseverance and self-belief, which stems from a vow Cariah made to himself during his younger days when his future as a cricketer appeared, at least to others, up in the air.

"I made up my mind, I made a decision and I stuck with it," he said. "I always believed in it. I'm blessed with a gift to play cricket. I always believed I could make it. I don't give up.

"There were some difficulties, but I made my decision and that made it easier for me, day in, day out.

"When you work your entire life for something, the confidence grows within yourself – batting, bowling, anything as a human being. I'm very confident in my ability, in what I can do and what I believe in.

"No one can take that away from me."

Men's Dettol T20I Series v West Indies

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

First T20: Australia won by three wickets

Friday Oct 7: The Gabba, Brisbane, 6:10pm

Buy #AUSvWI T20 tickets here