In a week's time, Jason Brown will exchange the cool breezes of the Caribbean for the still and sticky airs of Sri Lanka as he continues his lightning-fast journey through the ranks of English cricket.

Last June, Brown was playing second XI cricket for Northamptonshire having appeared in 16 first-class games since making his debut in 1996. A few short months later, he has England coach Duncan Fletcher and captain Nasser Hussain sizing him up for his first full England cap.

The tour of the Caribbean with England A, selected after taking 61 first class wickets in the 2000 season, has been a success. Despite slow pitches in Grenada and Trinidad, he has taken eight wickets in two matches with his unorthodox off-spin and only when his skipper has taken him off, to give him a rest, has there been any let up in his cheerful and quietly equable disposition.

But the speed of his recent promotion has been in stark contrast to his rate of progress over the last six years which he has spent at Northamptonshire waiting for his chance, mostly in the shadow of fellow spinners Graeme Swann and Michael Davies. Had the chance not arisen last summer, he would have left the county having decided at the start of the summer that this would be his make or break year.

"I have played at the latter end of the seasons when wickets are dry and taking turn but whenever there was a greenish wicket, they would pick the seamers and I would end up back in the second team.

"It did get frustrating - thinking I was climbing the ladder then having to go back to the seconds and that is why I was looking at making the break from Northamptonshire. I'm glad it has worked the way it has.

"This tour has gone well for me. I have had good flight and good control and have been patient when people have taken me on. It has enabled me to get a few overs under my belt and get a bit of confidence.

"The first few days I found it quite warm but it has got easier. When I have the ball in my hand, I just like to bowl. I don't care how long for and I am disappointed when I am brought off because I love bowling."

Even after Brown suffered a bout of food poisoning and spent a sleepless night being ill, losing half a stone in the process, he took the field and was able to maintain faultless control for almost 20 overs.

"As soon as I got on the pitch, I forgot about being sick and concentrated on my bowling. Sometimes I think you bowl better when you are not feeling well because you put a little extra effort into it."

Normally, the Staffordshire-born Brown spends his winters working in factories driving fork lift trucks and says those experiences have kept his feet on the ground, making him appreciate his life in cricket all the more.

Now that experience is paying off as he contends with the pressures of fast track promotion.

"Its all happened so quickly and it has come as a bit of a shock but it is just something I have to deal with. Going from thinking I may have to move counties to this, is unbelievable and it is taking time to sink in.

"I have made a big jump from last July and not many people know much about me so I have to prove to the guys in Sri Lanka that they have to pick me and that will be difficult. But I've found that the bigger the challenge, the harder I try. Sri Lanka will be a massive challenge and I'm looking forward to taking my chance.

Despite his success with the ball, other areas of his game need work, Brown admits.

"There is a lot of room for improvement in my batting and fielding. But I want to take the ideas and focus I've got from my bowling and put that into my batting, even if it is only to be more solid and hang around, rather than look like a rabbit. It's a confidence thing but I have learned a lot from Ian Ward on this tour and am looking forward to trying out a few things before I go to Sri Lanka."

Brown has one Busta Cup match to play before he leaves Grenada and heads back to London but this third round tie against Guyana starting on Friday promises to be a bit special since he comes up against his hero Carl Hooper.

Hooper made a century when he played for Kent against Northamptonshire in 1998, but Brown was thrilled when he heard from another old Northants friend, Jamaica's Franklyn Rose, that Hooper had rated him as one of the finest bowlers of his type in the country.

The Guyana skipper will not hold back against the England A spinner but a new found patience and confidence should allow him to meet the challenge head on, to his, England A's and ultimately England's benefit.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd