Alick Athanaze and Keacy Carty have been appointed as captains for the West Indies A team in the upcoming series of T20s and one-day matches against the visiting England Lions. The tour, scheduled from 1st to 16th November, will take place across St Kitts and Nevis, starting with a trio of T20 matches followed by five one-day encounters.
The one-day squad, consisting of 15 players, and the T20 squad, which includes 13 players, have been specifically chosen with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in mind, set to kick off in February next year. According to a statement from CWI, “These five matches against England A [Lions] are the main opportunity for players outside the senior side to press their case before the qualifier squad is selected.”
Alongside Athanaze, the T20 squad features players like Vitel Lawes, Jewel Andrew, Quentin Sampson, and Kamil Pooran, all of whom have had a taste of international cricket. The one-day squad also includes capped players such as Kevlon Anderson, Jediah Blades, Kirk McKenzie, Shamar Springer, and Oshane Thomas, alongside Carty.
Kevin Wickham was considered for the one-day squad before being called up for the Test series in Bangladesh. This has opened the door for Rivaldo Clarke from the West Indies Academy to join the one-day team. Miles Bascombe, the CWI director of cricket, stated, “The qualifier in February is the most important assignment of our 50-over year, and we are treating it that way.”
Ottis Gibson, who oversees the West Indies A team’s coaching, is expected to play a pivotal role. As Bascombe added, “Ottis Gibson knows what international cricket demands. We’ve asked him to give every player clarity about their role and tell us who is closest to stepping up.”
In a developmental move, top-order batsman Mikyle Louis will join the team as a development attachment, focusing on honing his skills in the white-ball format within a high-performance setting.
Fixture Schedule:
– 1st Nov: 1st T20 at Conaree Cricket Ground
– 3rd Nov: 2nd T20 at Conaree Cricket Ground
– 4th Nov: 3rd T20 at Conaree Cricket Ground
– 7th Nov: 1st one-day at Warner Park
– 9th Nov: 2nd one-day at Warner Park
– 11th Nov: 3rd one-day at Conaree Cricket Ground
– 14th Nov: 4th one-day at Warner Park
– 16th Nov: 5th one-day at Warner Park
The West Indies A teams are prepared to make a strong impression as they gear up for crucial events lined up on the international calendar.
