Tevin Imlach: The Art of Waiting
Ten years after helping West Indies lift the Under-19 World Cup, Tevin Imlach has grown into the captain steering Guyana Harpy Eagles toward a fourth consecutive West Indies Championship title. He also carries with him the distinction of being a capped Test cricketer, his first one earned in Pakistan just over a year ago.
However, the journey between those two international career milestones was lonelier and quieter than the highlights suggest. Fortunately, what those trying times built in him, is something he couldn't have acquired any other way.
"My journey was quite different to some of the guys,"
Imlach says.
"There were doubts at times. You're trying, performing and still must wait. Looking back on it now, it's part of the process and everybody's path is different but I'm proud of what I've accomplished thus far in my career."
"I still find joy in knowing that I had to work for it. Cricket brought me so many different emotions over the years. I've cried over cricket and I've had beautiful days. I've also had rough days but it's the journey of the game. I'm very grateful for what it is, the people I have around me and the support system that I have."
When his maiden Test cap finally came against Pakistan in Multan in January 2025, it was the culmination of his journey up to that point and understandably, the moment carried the weight of it all.
“There were multiple emotions,"
he admits.
"There were joy and vindication. All those memories and all the struggle of it, came together at that point. You get to put on that cap and your name is etched into the history books. It's a special feeling. Only the guys that would have done it would know what I'm speaking about."
In regional cricket, he captains a Guyana side that has won eight titles in the past decade and three in a row.
The heritage of their proud corner of South America, which includes icons like Sir Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, is at the forefront of his mind every time he dons the Harpy Eagles’ cap.
"There's a certain level of pride that you get when you put on a Guyana Harpy Eagles cap,"
he says.
"There's a rich history of people that represented Guyana before you, so you want to leave something there for yourself and be a part of something great. You're always trying to create your own legacy."
While he has been a professional for now over a decade, Imlach indicated his occupation of the Guyana captaincy has proven to be the greatest education in his career.
In the midst of another regional final, he is not thinking about legacies or the weight of three titles in a row.
Having seen it all in West Indies colours since he was a teenager, either for the “A” side or the World Champion Under 19 side, the 29-year-old’s focus is on the present.
"The difficulty is not around captaining and setting fields, I believe that part is easy. It's more about managing personalities on both sides of it. Managing egos, not only the players', but your own, is a big part of it,”
he reveals.
“You have to approach different players different ways based on their personality and that's been the biggest lesson for me."
"My focus is on doing rather than on what has passed. Nothing can be achieved if you're focused on just the end goal. I think if you focus more on the process, it makes it a lot easier in the end."
For Tevin Imlach, the journey from a jubilant teenager lifting a World Cup trophy to a Test cricketer and regional captain has been anything but straightforward. It has been a winding road traversing corners of doubt, impatience and quiet persistence.
Now, with another final before him and a career still very much in its prime, he still carries the tears, the waiting and the vindication, to keep him grounded when the stakes are highest.