JAMAICA’S premier wrist-spinner Odean Brown believes he is on the right path to being selected to play for the West Indies, but concedes he needs to continue taking wickets to get the regional selector’s attention.

Brown, who made his debut in 2003-2004, is among a 24-man national squad currently in preparation for the regional four-day competition which starts in January.

He enjoyed good returns during last season’s extended tournament where each team played the other on a home-and-away basis. He took 52 wickets in 12 matches at a tidy average of 21.98 to help Jamaica to another title, despite the absence of leading players Chris Gayle, Brendan Nash, Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor who were on West Indies duty.

Only Ryan Austin with 60 wickets and Shane Shillingford with 54 took more.

“If you get 50-odd wickets you hope the selectors would turn their heads towards you. I have to just come again and I hope this time (the upcoming season) something will happen.

“I share the goal of any other first-class player who ultimately wants to play for West Indies. (However) I think there is more work to be done. I think I still can do more in terms of taking more wickets. I think I should step up some more,” Brown told the Sunday Observer.

Brown attributed his 2008-2009 success to the West Indies Cricket Board’s ability to facilitate the long season, but bemoaned the change in format for the upcoming season due to a reported lack of funding.

“It (the longer season) helped a lot because you tend to bowl more and it definitely builds the confidence and this season they say it’s going to be six matches or so, and that’s very disappointing. The more you bowl is the more things you can learn as well,” the 27-year-old lamented.

Brown, who has snared 105 wickets at 22.67 in 29 first-class matches, confessed that given the difficult nature of his craft, he is prone to bowling a bad ball or two and asserts that those will have to be limited to have a telling effect in Test cricket.

“I don’t think you ever will have full control. You just hope you continue to improve, and it has to do with how well you can adapt at that (Test) level,” he said, adding, “I think my control has improved, though. It has definitely improved over the last season or so.”

When quizzed about his willingness to bowl in a defensive fashion should his team be placed under pressure, Brown was confident in his attacking nature, pointing out that left-arm orthodox spinning teammate Nikita Miller is a bowler more in that mold.

“I’m an attacking bowler. My job is to attack and get wickets. He (Miller) is the one who normally ties up the other end,” he stated.

The wily leg-spinner took the opportunity to respond to critics who believe he is not as consistent when bowling against the likes of Guyana and Trinidad, who tend to play spin well.

“I’ve performed well against Trinidad. Last year I got seven wickets in the game in Trinidad and I got wickets when they came here too. And even when I made my debut against Trinidad I got four (wickets) in one innings and three (wickets) in the other. Sometimes people expect you to get five wickets every time (you bowl),” he argued.

Brown, however, revealed that he will be targeting both teams in particular, but conceded that from his experience the Guyanese can be harder to outfox.

“I haven’t gotten a five (wicket haul in an innings) against Trinidad and Guyana, and that is one of my aims this season. I think the Guyanese play spin better than the Trinidadians — no disrespect to the Trinidadians,” Brown stated.