Under-19 World Cup winners among players to work on “white-ball” skills
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua – Four members of the 2016 West Indies Under-19 World Cup-winning squad headline a group of 15 players chosen to attend a Cricket West Indies (CWI) Emerging Players training camp aimed at enhancing their skills in the white-ball formats of the game.
Leeward Islands Hurricanes batsman Keacy Carty, the Player-of-the-Match in the Final of that Under-19 World Cup, heads the list of players attending the training camp taking place from May 27 to June 13 at the West Indies High Performance Centre (WIHPC), Coolidge Cricket Ground, here.
The other Under-19 World Cup winners taking part in the camp are Jamaica-born, Trinidad & Tobago Red Force pacer Odean Smith, and Barbados Pride duo of fast bowler Chemar Holder and all-rounder Shamar Springer.
This new initiative is part of a thrust by CWI to further its investment in player development which is a key aspect of the existing strategic plan and new policies outlined by recently-elected president Ricky Skerritt and vice president Kishore Shallow.
Programme Manager of the WIHPC, Graeme West said the training camp was aimed at increasing the depth chart of the West Indies white-ball squads over time.
“The camp will be delivered by the CWI high-performance team with a focus on developing the players’ white-ball skills and building on the potential the players have shown coming through the CWI pathway of youth and senior regional tournaments,” said West.
“The development of players is key to the West Indies’ future success and we have to begin to build the depth of talent in the white-ball formats, especially 50 overs.”
West said: “We have seen the emergence of a number of our talented Under-23s, like Shimron Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph, Keemo Paul, Oshane Thomas, Sherfane Rutherford and Obed McCoy, into the West Indies white-ball squads in recent matches and all have performed creditably.
“We have a strong group of emerging players and this initiative is a good opportunity at harnessing that talent, raising the profiles of some of our outstanding young talent, and preparing them to be future West Indies stars.”
West said a group of 12 out of the 15 will also use the training camp to undergo preparations for entering this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) linked to a new agreement between CWI and the organisers of the region’s leading Twenty20 tournament.
“This is the first time that the CWI selection panel has provided a pool of emerging players to CPL,” said West.
“The 12 players that have been identified by the selection panel are guaranteed contracts with the six franchises and will be entered into the CPL Draft taking place later this month in London, where the franchises will make their squad selections.”
CPL franchises have now agreed to include at least one of the two players drafted in their final line-up for matches.
SQUAD
(Players with asterisks next to their names have been identified for entry into the CPL Draft)
Joshua Bishop
*Leniko Boucher
Keacy Carty
*Roland Cato
*Dominic Drakes
Keon Harding
*Chemar Holder
*Amir Jangoo
*Ramaal Lewis
*Jeremiah Louis
*Anderson Phillips
*Jeavor Royal
*Keagan Simmons
*Odean Smith
*Shamar Springer