Jamaica fast bowler Marquino Mindley

Some see Mindley as a bolt from the blue, but the pacer, who hails from Rose Hall in St Elizabeth, actually made steady rise through the youth ranks.

Current national coach Bennett and Richard Walters - both known to unearth talented players over the years - have been notable guides.

"He's a talented youngster and he's a skilful bowler. He's very deceptive because he's actually quicker than people make him out to be. I saw him from he was about 12 years old at one of the Courtney Walsh cricket camps and from that moment we've been paying close attention to him," Bennett said.

Mindley's bowling style and level of success led to comparisons with West Indies bowler and fellow parishioner Jerome Taylor.

The road to national prominence began a while back. He told the Jamaica Observer that early inspiration came from his uncle, who played for St Elizabeth CA.
"I started playing at about age 10. My uncle, Feron Findley; I used to follow him around to watch him play club cricket and he encouraged me to start playing."
He explained that while attending Rose Hall Primary he was a handy batsman and he only took to bowling when he left for St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS). It turned out he was a natural and the rest fell smoothly into place.
"I started bowling after [STETHS cricket coach] Clive Ledgister recommended it. I started bowling at medium pace and I hit the right areas often. Everything came natural and he suggested I should start to bowl fast and I had to work on a longer [bowling] run-up."
Success in schoolboy cricket aside, Mindley played two years for the Jamaica Under-15 team and another two seasons for the Under-19s.

But what of the comparisons with Taylor?
"When I was at STETHS he [Taylor] came around and said I reminded him of how he was at that stage. We became like friends and he showed me stuff," Mindley said.
Taylor, nicknamed 'Rex', was also a standout at STETHS. His desire now is to guide his younger teammate when the two don the national colours against Barbados this weekend.
"l worked with him at STETHS where they called him 'Little Rex';  that's the smaller version of me. He has always said he wanted to play with me so when I saw him bowl last week, I thought this might be it. I'm looking forward to it and so I will try my best to guide him along. He is someone for the future so hopefully he can continue working hard and improve on his game," Taylor said.