Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Friday announced the initial intake of 15 selectees for the CWI Emerging Players Academy. The group will start work at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua from July 1 for high-performance training and development sessions.
Several recent members of the West Indies Rising Stars Under-19 programme are included. Two notable selectees are Teddy Bishop and Kevin Wickham, who both made centuries for the West Indies Rising Stars Under-19s during the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup played in the West Indies earlier this year.
Others who have graduated from the West Indies Rising Stars Under-19s team to the regional franchise teams include Keagen 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 to the Academy squad is all-rounder Nyeem Young, who was in the West Indies Men’s white-ball training camp in April.
Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket welcomed the players.
He said: “We want to offer a special welcome to the young men 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 at ways of bridging that critical gap between our junior and professional levels and this Academy initiative provides us with a great start towards achieving this. This will also play an important role in building regional capacity within High-Performance player support – technical, physical, mental, and personal development.”
The plan for a CWI Emerging Players Academy was first announced in March. It will function as a nexus between regional junior and senior teams while supporting the development of talented players between the ages of 19 and 25. The Academy will have five primary objectives:
- Building capacity of players, support staff and high-performance resources.
- Management of Talent.
- Personal Development – develop person first and then the player.
- Demonstrate Best Practice, including recruitment, selection and preparation.
- Accelerating Player Development and increasing readiness of players for international cricket.
The Selection Panel met and recommended the 15 players based on a formula which included consultations with each of the six Territorial Boards. Six reserves have also been selected as cover for players who may be selected for their franchises for regional competitions.
The first Emerging Players camp has several objectives and the main focus during the initial period will be to ensure the management of talent; players’ personal development – especially creating a breeding ground for leaders in the game; accelerating development – reinforcing the importance of knowledge on the physical components; as well as increasing the readiness of the players for the international stage – with a focus on specific skill sets identified by the Head Coach of the Senior Team.
Nyeem Young expressed his eagerness and readiness.
He said: “This is a massive opportunity for myself 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 U19 system and being at the senior white ball camp a few months back, this is a chance to further my skills. This will benefit all of us as we look to the future and I believe the camp will also help to build camaraderie.”
FULL SQUAD (with home territory)
Kevlon Anderson (Guyana)
Keagan Simmons (Trinidad and Tobago)
Kirk McKenzie (Jamaica)
Kevin Wickham (Barbados)
Teddy Bishop (Windward Islands/Grenada)
Ackeem Auguste (Windward Islands/Saint Lucia)
Ramon Simmonds (Barbados)
McKenny Clarke (Windward Islands/Saint Lucia)
Johann Layne (Barbados)
Kelvin Pitman (Leeward Islands/Antigua and Barbuda)
Ashmead Nedd (Guyana)
Joshua Bishop (Barbados)
Nyeem Young (Barbados)
Joshua James (Trinidad and Tobago)
Leonardo Julien (Trinidad and Tobago)
Reserves
Anderson Amurdan (Leeward Islands/Nevis)
Kimani Melius (Windward Islands/Saint Lucia)
Kirstan Kallicharan (Trinidad and Tobago)
Brad Barnes (Jamaica)
Shaaron Lewis (Trinidad and Tobago)
Camarie Boyce (Barbados)
