CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS - THREE players from Nevis will feature in the 2022 International Cricket Council’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup slated to be played in the Caribbean, with stops in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Carlon Bowen-Tuckett, Onjae Amory and Jaden Carmichel were the three players selected that will compete in the tournament, while Anderson Murdan is the fourth is listed in the reserve squad.
Cricket West Indies’ Selection Panel released the names and indicated that the squad would be led by Ackeem Auguste, the left-handed middle-order batsman, with allrounder Giovonte Depeiza as vice captain.
They were also at the helm during the six-match Youth One-Day International Series played in England last September.
The West Indies Rising Stars U-19s have been drawn in Group D alongside Australia, Scotland and Sri Lanka for the 16-team tournament, which will be played from January 14 to February 5.
Matches will be played in Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, as well as in Guyana.
Meanwhile, before the ICC U-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, a five-match warm-up series is being planned with details to be announced in coming days.
Lead Selector Robert Haynes commended the coaching staff and those involved in getting the young cricketers prepared for the tournament.
He declared that it was not an easy task to undertake during the COVID-19 pandemic but they overcame all challenges that it brought.
“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,” note Haynes.
The Head Coach, Floyd Reifer, also expressed satisfaction with the makeup of the squad, noting that he had seen a lot of improvement from the last camp in Antigua.
“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 a batsman who can bowl well and bowlers who can bat as well, so we have a good balance.”
Minister of Sport in the Nevis Island Administration, Eric Evelyn commended the four players for making the final squad and sent congratulatory messages to them ahead of the tournament.
