THE next generation of West Indies batters recently completed a focused two-week training programme in Chennai, putting Saint Lucian Ackeem Auguste firmly in the spotlight while the senior players competed in a home series against Bangladesh.
Jewel Andrew, the breakout star of CPL 2024, Kirk McKenzie, who made his Test debut against India last year, Ackeem Auguste, Jordan Johnson, Matthew Nandu, Kevin Wickham, and Teddy Bishop all sharpened their skills at the Super Kings academy, supervised by West Indies academy head coach Ramesh Subasinghe, West Indies Under-19 coach Rohan Nurse, and Super Kings academy coach Sriram Krishnamurthy.
Following the success of Rachin Ravindra and Ben Sears, who trained in Chennai prior to New Zealand’s dominant 3-0 Test series victory in India, West Indies made the wise decision to send their emerging talent for a rigorous camp. Here, the players faced red-and-black-soil pitches and every conceivable type of spin, including wrist spin and mystery spin.
Auguste, a 21-year-old left-hand batsman, recognised this camp as a critical step in his development after winning the CPL earlier this year with the Saint Lucia Kings under the leadership of Faf du Plessis and Daren Sammy.
“It’s been a productive experience in Chennai, adapting to new surfaces and improving my game,” Auguste stated confidently. “For both black and red clay, it’s essential to develop a solid game plan and stick to it as much as possible. Sweeping comes naturally to me, so deciding which sweep to play—whether a paddle sweep, reverse sweep, or a hard-conventional sweep—has been straightforward.”
He was the standout player in a two-day match, scoring a pair of eighties despite challenging humidity, but noted that he was eager to convert one of those into a century.
“I would have liked to convert at least one, but I learned a lot from practice and incorporated that into my game, sticking to my game plan for as long as possible. That’s what worked well for me,” he added. “If you had told me I’d score these runs, I would take that, but there’s always room for improvement.”
This marked the first time the West Indies Academy players experienced overseas training, and the benefits were clear. On Monday, Andrew, McKenzie, Wickham, and Auguste executed a variety of sweeps at training, including the slog-sweep and reverse sweep.
On Tuesday, they translated their skills into action during a competitive 50-over match on a slow pitch. The camp included one two-day game and three one-day matches, further intensified by the inclusion of Tamil Nadu players, such as Hong Kong-born ambidextrous wrist-spinner Jhathavedh Subramanyan, who was formerly with Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024.
While McKenzie, 24, isn’t a natural sweeper like Auguste, he has actively worked on this technique to counter spin effectively. “I’ve increased my sweeping and adjusted my use of the crease,” he remarked.
He continued: “We lack a comprehensive development programme in the Caribbean and don’t have adequate facilities for a proud nation that has claimed six ICC championships, including an Under-19 World Cup. There’s a strong need for innovation in our approach, and this camp in Chennai is a prime example of how we can adapt and thrive.”