“Obviously it took a little longer,” Springer tells Cricinfo during West Indies’ ongoing tour of India. “I was disappointed at first but upon self-reflection I had to work a little harder and be honest with myself. Eventually, I’m here.”
Springer is 28 now, and the intervening decade has been anything but straightforward.
His father, Victor, died in 2016, a few months after the Under-19 World Cup. His mother, Pamela, died in June this year. He feels his mother’s absence, in particular, on his maiden visit to India because she was an avid follower of Indian cricket. India was her favourite team after West Indies, and the two would watch matches together whenever Springer was home in Barbados.
“She would sometimes be awake before me to catch the cricket, despite the time difference,” Springer says. “I just wish she got the opportunity to see me here in India.”
The dance moves have now become a less frequent sight. His journey of lows and highs has made Springer “tone back a bit.”
“My philosophy is to try to control what I can control,” he says. “When you see death up close, my parents, it’s like no matter what you really do, if it’s their time, it’s their time, you know?
“And same with cricket. You could prepare as best as you can and still have a bad day. So I just try to keep as calm as possible and know that the sun will rise tomorrow and there’s another opportunity as long as I’m alive, I have an opportunity to better myself.
“It’s still pretty tough – trying to prepare and push yourself when you’re faced with tragedy. It almost sucks life out of you, but I know that they would want me to keep going, although it’s very hard. So I just try to take it day by day and not look too far ahead.”
There was a time when Springer seemed destined to follow his Under-19 team-mates Shimron Hetmyer and Alzarri Joseph into the senior side. Both made their international debuts in 2016, while Springer was left to find his way through domestic cricket.
As an international call-up continued to elude him, Springer began considering a future away from cricket. Between 2020 and early 2022, he wondered whether the opportunity would ever come. He had been accepted to study international business at UWI, but decided to give cricket another push.
“I said, ‘let me give it one more push’ and things started to work,” he says. “I had a decent season in first-class then I went on to play for Windward Islands. And then the momentum just kept rolling with me.”
That persistence was accompanied by a calculated change in direction. Springer had been regarded primarily as a batting allrounder, but the West Indies had no shortage of powerful hitters competing for a limited number of spots. He began looking for a skill that could distinguish him from the rest. And he chose one of the toughest roles in T20 cricket.
“I identified in 2022 that I wanted to be a death bowler,” he says. “Obviously, it took some time to get my skills up to par and I still have room to improve. But yeah, I just tried to carve my way in that. I knew I had the batting ability. So I just tried to improve on that to be a good finisher.”
Dwayne Bravo was the obvious reference point. Springer had watched him make a career out of delivering under pressure, particularly with the yorker, and recognised the value of a bowler willing to take responsibility at the end of an innings.
“In the West Indies, we have plenty of power hitters,” he says. “And obviously, Bravo is someone I looked up to. So I just wanted to be different. There are not many people who actually attempt to bowl yorkers. So I just wanted to take on that challenge.”
His international debut eventually came in October 2024 in Sri Lanka, but this calendar year has been particularly fruitful. In January, he took a hat-trick on his way to 4 for 20 against Afghanistan, achieving his best T20I figures. In CPL 2026, he took 12 wickets for champions Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.
A 20-ball 39 against New Zealand in November 2025 also reminded everyone of his batting ability. Springer knows he now needs to turn occasional performances into sustained returns to establish himself in the side. In his own words, he is “not a seeded player just yet.”
“It’s still pretty tough – trying to prepare and push yourself when you’re faced with tragedy. It almost sucks life out of you, but I know that they would want me to keep going, although it’s very hard”
Springer on dealing with the death of his parents
One thing that has survived the intervening decade is Springer’s faith in positive thinking. As a teen, he listened to motivational speeches and told himself he was a champion. He still does his best to approach cricket with that conviction, even if he has become more accepting of its uncertainties.
“Fortune favours the brave,” he says. “I just try to be as positive as I can and be as brave as I can. I know every game won’t be the same so I just try to work with a law of averages and hopefully it’ll land on success most times.”
Back home in Barbados, Springer keeps things fairly simple. He goes to the gym regularly, plays club cricket on weekends and spends time with friends, whose company he finds comforting. They often play NBA 2K online, while Real Madrid is his team of choice on FIFA. He also keeps an eye on investments and the stock market.
Here in India, Springer has been observing the T20 world champions from afar and says he’s been struck by the hosts’ confidence. He admires their conviction that they are the best, and sees playing against them as a useful measure of his own progress. The IPL remains an ambition, although he is less inclined to set deadlines anymore.
“Just living day by day right now,” he says. “So let’s try to be as best as we can each and every day. And that’ll get me where I’m supposed to be.”
Sreshth Shah is a sub-editor at Cricinfo. @sreshthx
