SPORTS
Newsday reporter
THREE Trinidad and Tobago cricketers have been selected by Cricket West Indies (CWI) in the inaugural group for the CWI Emerging Players Academy in Antigua. The 15-member squad will begin work at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) from July 1 for training and high-performance development sessions.
TT picks include Tobago’s Joshua James and Trinidadians Keagan Simmons and Leonardo Julien.
Some recent members of the West Indies Rising Stars U-19 program are included. Two notable selections are Teddy Bishop and Kevin Wickham, who both made centuries for rising stars West Indies U-19s during the ICC Men’s U-19 Cricket World Cup played in India Western earlier this year.
Others who have graduated from the West Indies U-19 team of rising stars to regional franchise teams include Simmons, Kirk McKenzie and former captain, Ackeem Auguste; along with left-arm spinners Ashmead Nedd and Joshua Bishop; and left-arm fast bowler Ramon Simmonds. Also selected in the Academy squad is all-rounder Nyeem Young, who was at the West Indies men’s white-ball training camp in April.
Jimmy Adams, CWI Director of Cricket welcomed the players. He said: “We want to extend a special welcome to the youngsters who have been selected to form the first cohort for the CWI Emerging Players programme. They are a talented group of players who we are sure will enjoy the benefits of their hard work. CWI has been looking for ways to bridge that critical gap between our junior and professional level, and this academy initiative provides us with a great start toward achieving that. This will also play an important role in regional capacity building within the support of high performance players – technical, physical, mental and personal development.”
The plan for a CWI player development academy was first announced in March. It will act as a link between the regional youth and senior teams, while supporting the development of talented players between the ages of 19 and 25. The academy will have five main objectives: capacity building of players, support staff and high performance resources; talent management; personal development – develop the person first and the player second; demonstrate best practices, including recruitment, selection and preparation; accelerating player development and increasing players’ readiness for international cricket.
The selection panel met and recommended the 15 players based on a formula which included consultation with each of the six territorial boards. Six reserves have also been selected as cover players who may be selected for their franchises for regional competitions.
The first development camp has several objectives and the main focus during the initial period will be to ensure talent management; personal development of players – especially creating a favorable environment for in-game leaders; accelerated development – reinforcing the importance of knowledge on physical components; as well as increasing players’ readiness for the international stage – with a focus on specific skill sets identified by the head coach of the senior team.
Nyeem Young expressed his diligence and willingness. He said: “This is a great opportunity for me and all the other players involved. I can’t wait to get to Antigua to get started and get involved. Being a player who has come through the West Indies Rising Stars U-19 system and having been to the white ball camp a few months ago, this is a chance to further my skills. We will all benefit from this as we look to the future and I believe the camp will also help build camaraderie.”
Inaugural Academy: Kevlon Anderson, Ackeem Auguste, Joshua Bishop, Teddy Bishop, McKenny Clarke, Joshua James, Leonardo Julien, Johann Layne, Kirk McKenzie, Ashmead Nedd, Kelvin Pitman, Keagan Simmons, Ramon Simckham, Kevin Simmonds,
Subs: Anderson Amurdan, Brad Barnes, Camarie Boyce, Kirstan Kallicharan, Sharon Lewis, Kimani Melius.
