ST JOHNS, Antigua,CMC – Exciting all-rounder Shamar Springer is among five members of the ICC Youth World Cup-winning side included in the West Indies Under-19 14-man squad for the Regional Super50 starting next week.
He will be joined by fellow all-rounder Keemo Paul, middle-order batsman Kirstan Kallicharan, wicket-keeper/batsman Emmanuel Stewart and left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy, for the January 24 to February 18 one-day tournament set to be staged here and in Barbados.
The side’s campaign in the Super50 will be part of their preparation for next year’s Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand and while neither Paul, Springer nor McCoy will be eligible for the showpiece, they have been included in the Super50 squad to add strength. West Indies Under-19s all-rounder, Shamar Springer.
Head coach Graeme West said the tournament would be ideal preparation for the lads and pointed out he had high expectations of the squad.
“We have a really fantastic group of players selected for this tournament and we believe they will do very well,” West said.
“We had a camp in Grenada before Christmas, which went really well. We will have another camp here in Antigua in the build-up to this event, which should get us in the right frame of mind as we play against older and more experienced opposition.”
He added: “On the team, we have included three ‘over-aged’ players – Springer, Paul and McCoy – to add a bit of strength especially to the seam bowling department. They are three quality bowlers, and they can bat as well, and we believe will serve West Indies cricket very well in the future.”
Springer shot to prominence when he lashed a 74-ball hundred against Fiji in last January’s Youth World Cup in Bangladesh, and followed up with an unbeaten half-century and a brace of wickets in the semi-final, as they beat the hosts to reach the final.
His exuberant ‘chest roll’ dancing celebrations with every wicket came to typify the Young Windies performances during the tournament.
West Indies Under-19s will play in Zone A carded for Antigua and will be alongside defending champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, Windward Islands Volcanoes and English County side Kent Spitfires.
A captain will be named prior to the tournament.
SQUAD – Te-Shawn Alleyne, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Bishop, Shian Brathwaite, Kirstan Kallicharan, Mikyle Louis, Obed McCoy, Matthew Patrick, Keemo Paul, Jeavor Royal, Javier Spencer, Shamar Springer, Emmanuel Stewart, Bhaskar Yadram.
