ST JOHN’S, ANTIGUA – Just about six months after the West Indies under 19 team won its first World Championship in Dhaka, Bangladesh, all age-group tournaments have ended with the final of the under 19 held last Sunday in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
All the titles were won by Trinidad and Tobago (under 15, under 17, three-days under 19) and Guyana (under 19, 50-overs).
Approximately 280 players are back in the mix playing for a spot on that 16-man squad and will have to play consistently well for back to back seasons to be considered for a final spot for the 2018 World Championship Under 19 squad.
The Director of Cricket, Richard Pybus, indicated “apart from the competitions, camps and other sessions will form part of the overall preparation and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is putting all its plans in motion.”
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The average spend in the three territories, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago and St Vincent & the Grenadines where the age group tournaments were hosted, add up to approximately US$1,000,000. This is the estimate for a combined 50 days of cricket across the three competitions.
Additional expenditure from the WICB include payments to all categories of officials who are also part of the organisation of these tournaments.
Chief Executive Officer, Michael Muirhead, thinks this kind of investment “is important for cricket and as many of our territories benefit as much as possible. We see this as a critical part of our partnership with our stakeholders right across the region.”
The CEO went on to reiterate the importance of all the regions benefiting from all levels of hosting. “Later on this year, camps will be assembled to have a closer look at players for various team selections,” noted the CEO.