By Samuel Peters
The Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA) has announced its Senior National Training Squad for the upcoming LICB Men’s 50 Overs Tournament, set to take place at the end of the month.
The 22-man squad, which began training last week, is preparing for the sub-regional tournament to be held in St Kitts.
Notable absences from the squad include West Indies Vice Captain Alzarri Joseph, and West Indies all-rounders Rahkeem Cornwall and Hayden Walsh Jr. Additionally, Kofi James, Jewel Andrew, and Kelvin Pitman are missing from the line-up due to their current participation in the Caribbean Premier League.
The squad’s composition reflects a diverse selection from local teams, with six players from Pigotts Crushers, five from champions Liberta Blackhawks, four from Jennings Tigers, two each from Combined Schools, New Winthorpes Lions, and Empire Nation, and one from All Saints Pythons.
Among the notable inclusions is 16-year-old fast bowling all-rounder Matthew Miller, whose selection follows an impressive season in the ABCA Two Day Competition, where he scored a century and claimed a five-wicket haul. He was also recently selected for a scholarship at the Harrow School in the United Kingdom and represented the Leeward Islands in the CWI Rising Stars Under 19 Competition.
Kadeem Henry of Pigotts Crushers, the only ambidextrous finger spinner in the squad, has been included after a strong performance in the ABCA Super 40, scoring 367 runs at an average of 52.43.
Former Leeward Islands Under 19 batsman Michael Greaves also earned his spot with 347 runs in the Super 40 Competition, including two centuries.
Fast bowler Glen Williams secured his place after an improved season, taking 18 wickets in the Super 40 and 30 in the ABCA Two Day Competition. Seventeen-year-old leg spinner Micah McKenzie, who represented the Leeward Islands at both Under 17 and Under 19 levels, is also included in the squad.
Interestingly, Morton Browne, the leading wicket-taker of the ABCA Super 40 Competition with 26 wickets at an average of 11.12, did not make the cut.
The full squad is as follows: Demari Benta, Deran Benta, D’ahri Francis, Elroy Francis Jr., Karima Gore, Michael Greaves, Kadeem Henry, Nino Henry, Jawakie Joseph, Kadeem Josiah, Jedidiah Martin, Micah McKenzie, Matthew Miller, Shavon Moore, Uri Smith, Javier Spencer, Joshua Thomas, Essan Warner, Yanique Watley, Glen Williams, Glenton Williams, and Tyrone Williams Jr.
As the team prepares for the tournament, they are expected to play several warm-up games to fine-tune their performance for the challenges ahead in St Kitts.
