Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel has announced its Rising Stars U19s 15-member squad and five reserves for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup to be played in the West Indies starting next month.
The squad will be led by Saint Lucian Ackeem Auguste, the left-handed middle-order batsman, with Barbadian all-rounder Giovonte Depeiza, as the vice-captain. They were also at the helm during the six-match Youth One-Day International Series in England in September. The other Saint Lucian in the Squad is right hand bat/ right arm fast bowler Mc Kenny Clarke.
The players were selected following the recent high-performance camp and preparation matches which featured 28 players at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
The West Indies Rising Stars U19s have been drawn in Group D alongside Australia, Scotland and Sri Lanka for the 16-team tournament which will be played from January 14th to February 5th. Matches will be played in Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Guyana. Before the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, a five-match warm-up series is being planned with details to be announced in the coming days.
Lead Selector Robert Haynes said:
“Overall, the selectors are very pleased with what we have been seeing from these players and we expect some very exciting cricket in the World Cup. The batting is solid, our concern coming out of the tour of England was the middle-order, but we saw some really good performances in the camp and some very good partnerships. The bowling is very good, and we think we have the right combination of spinners and fast bowlers. This is a balanced squad, and the players are very excited. It is now for these youngsters to go out and put on display what they learned in the camps which were organized for their benefit.”
Haynes added: “I must also commend the coaching staff, and everyone involved in getting these young cricketers prepared for this level of competition. It has not been an easy task with the COVID-19 pandemic in our midst, but we have overcome several hurdles and have a team which is well organized and ready for the challenges ahead.”
Head Coach Floyd Reifer said:
“Coming out of the last camp in Antigua, we have seen a lot of improvement and development in the players, and we came up with a very good squad. I’m confident that we have a well-balanced team going into the World Cup, and we have the team to do very well in the tournament. We have a lot of talented players and what we are working on is the tactical side of our preparations. We have batsman who can bowl well and bowlers who can bat as well, so we have a good balance.”
Captain Ackeem Auguste said:
“It is a special honor to be named to captain the West Indies team. To represent the people of our region is a special privilege and it’s a really exciting time for me and my team-mates and we know this is a great opportunity on the international stage. We had the tour of England earlier this year and that was a good experience for all of us. I learned a lot about leadership on that tour and I would say I have grown since then. We have worked hard to reach this stage and we are ready ahead of the World Cup.”
Ackeem Auguste (Captain) – left-hand bat, Giovonte Depeiza (Vice Captain) – right-hand bat/left-arm spin, Onaje Amory – right-hand bat/right-arm off-spin, Teddy Bishop – right-hand bat, Carlon Bowen-Tuckett – right-hand bat/wicket-keeper, Jaden Carmichael – right-hand bat/left-arm spin, McKenny Clarke – right-hand bat/right-arm fast, Rivaldo Clarke – right-hand bat/wicket-keeper, Jordan Johnson – left-hand, bat/right-arm leg-spin, Johann Layne – right-hand bat/right-arm fast, Anderson Mahase – left-hand bat/left-arm spin, Matthew Nandu – left-hand opening bat/right-arm leg-spin, Shaqkere Parris – right-hand opening bat, Shiva Sankar – right-hand bat/right-arm medium-fast and Isai Thorne – right-hand bat/right-arm fast
Reserves: Anderson Amurdan – right-hand opening bat, Nathan Edward – left-hand bat/left-arm fast-medium, Andel Gordon – left-hand bat/left-arm medium-fast, Vasant Singh – right-hand bat/right-arm leg-spin and Kevin Wickham – right-hand bat/right-arm wrist-spin.