- JOHNS, Antigua – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) yesterday announced the West Indies Under-19 squad to participate in the upcoming Regional Super 50 Tournament.
Of note, is the fact that youthful speedster, Kian Pemberton from Nevis, is not in.
The 14-member squad includes five players who were part of the team which won the ICC Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh last year.
These are allrounders Shamar Springer and Keemo Paul; middle-order batsman Kirstan Kallicharan; wicket-keeper/batsman Emmanuel Stewart; and left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy.
The West Indies Under-19s are participating in this tournament as part of their preparation for the ICC Under-19 World Cup, to be played in New Zealand next year. Springer, Paul and McCoy will not be eligible for that tournament, but have be selected as part of their continued development and monitoring.
Head Coach Graeme West outlined the details behind the team’s preparations.
“We have a really fantastic group of players selected for this tournament and we believe they will do very well. We had a camp in Grenada before Christmas, which went really well. We will have another camp here in Antigua in the build-up to this event, which should get us in the right frame of mind as we play against older and more experienced opposition,” West said.
“On the team, we have included three ‘over-aged’ players – Springer, Paul and McCoy – to add a bit of strength especially to the seam bowling department. They are three quality bowlers, and they can bat as well, and we believe will serve West Indies cricket very well in the future.”
The West Indies Under-19s will play in Zone A which is based in Antigua. They will play alongside defending champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, Windward Islands Volcanoes, Kent Spitfire and host team Leeward Islands Hurricanes.
FULL SQUAD
Te-Shawn Alleyne
Alick Athanaze
Joshua Bishop
Shian Brathwaite
Kirstan Kallicharan
Mikyle Louis
Obed McCoy
Matthew Patrick
Keemo Paul
Jeavor Royal
Javier Spencer
Shamar Springer
Emmanuel Stewart
Bhaskar Yadram
TEAM MANAGEMENT
Graeme West (Head Coach)
Tony Gray (Assistant Coach)
Dwain Gill (Team Manager)
Khevyn Williams (Physiotherapist)
Dinesh Mahabir (Analyst)
Zephyrinus Nicholas (Trainer)
MATCH SCHEDULE
Wednesday, January 25: vs Windward Islands Volcanoes – Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground
Friday, January 27 vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes – SVRCG
Tuesday, January 31: vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force – SVRCG
Thursday, February 2: vs Kent Spitfire – SVRCG
Saturday, February 4: vs Windward Islands Volcanoes – SVRCG
Monday, February 6: vs Leeward Islands Hurricanes – SVRCG
Friday, February 10: vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force – SVRCG
Sunday, February 12: vs Kent Spitfire – SVRCG
FINAL FOUR
Semi-finals
Wednesday, February 15
Zone A winners vs Zone B runners-up – Coolidge Cricket Ground
Thursday, February 16
Zone B winners vs Zone A runners-up – CCG
GRAND FINAL
Saturday, February 18
Semi-final 1 winners vs Semi-final 2 winners – CCG