Antigua and Barbuda’s Jewel Andrew has been named in a 15-member West Indies Rising Stars Men’s Under-19s squad for the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup to be played in South Africa from January 19 to February 11 next year.
Andrew, a right-handed batsman wicket-keeper, recently turned out for the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) CG United Super50 where he featured in one match against the Barbados Pride.
The 17-year-old Antiguan was also one of two wicketkeeper batsmen selected in the West Indies Rising Stars Men’s Under-19s squad for a recent tour of Sri Lanka in August and September this year where he made a top score of 80 against the hosts.
According to a CWI release, top-order batter Stephan Pascal has been named as Captain with Nathan Sealy, the slow bowling all-rounder as Vice-Captain. The 15-member squad features most of the players who toured Sri Lanka for three Youth One-Day Internationals (50-over matches) and two four-day “Test” matches in August and September.
The squad includes three players who played in the 2022 ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup which was staged in the West Indies. They are: fast bowler Isai Thorne, left-handed all-rounder Nathan Edward and left-handed batter Jordan Johnson.
Thorne made his first-class debut for the West Indies Academy against Emerging Ireland last month and impressed with his pace. He took 12 wickets in two matches at an average of 6.16 per wicket. Johnson joined the West Indies A Team on the recent tour of South Africa where he made his first-class debut in the third and final four-day “Test” match.
The squad has assembled in Antigua for a one-week camp at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. During the camp, they will have training and fitness sessions along with planning sessions and personal development workshops.
Lead Selector Robert Haynes said: “We have named a balanced squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup and we expect them to do very well in this prestigious international event. We had a good tour of Sri Lanka in August and September where the players gained valuable experience. This helped to prepare them for the upcoming assignment. Since that tour, we also had a camp in Trinidad where we played against the USA Under-19 and the Trinidad & Tobago Under-23 teams. They will be match-fit and mentally fully prepared when they journey to South Africa.”
Haynes added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for these young men to represent the West Indies and showcase their talent, playing against their peers, in front of a global audience. This is a crucial stage in their development. They have received excellent preparation, help, and guidance from the coaches and support staff, and we expect to see them do very well.”
For the tournament, the West Indies have been drawn alongside hosts South Africa, Scotland, and England in Group B for their first-round matches. All three matches will be played at the J.B. Marks Oval in Potchefstroom. Before that, they will have warm-up matches against New Zealand and Nepal in Johannesburg.
FULL SQUAD: Stephan Pascal (Captain), Nathan Sealy (Vice Captain), Jewel Andrew, Mavendra Dindyal, Joshua Dorne, Nathan Edward, Tarrique Edward, Reon Edwards, Deshawn James, Jordan Johnson, Devonie Joseph, Raneico Smith, Isai Thorne, Steve Wedderburn and Adrian Weir.
Team Management: Rohan Nurse (Head Coach), Rohan Clarke (Assistant Coach), Nick Wilton (Assistant Coach), Dwain Gill (Team Manager), Dominic Angoy (Physiotherapist) and Gregory Seale (Strength and Conditioning Coach).
MATCH SCHEDULE
Warm-up matches
Sunday, 14 January: vs New Zealand at Braamfischer Oval, Johannesburg
Tuesday, 16 January: vs Nepal at St Stithians, Johannesburg
First round – Group B
Friday, 19 January: vs South Africa at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Wednesday, 24 January: vs Scotland at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Friday, 26 January: vs England at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom