JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – West Indies arrived in South Africa confident of doing well in the upcoming edition of the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
The squad, led by Stephan Pascal, departed from the Caribbean earlier this week and will have preparation ahead of their opening match against hosts South Africa next Friday at the J.B. Marks Oval in Potchefstroom.
Pascal said the team is well prepared after they had a five-match series in Sri Lanka last year, which was followed by a training camp in November in Trinidad and another last December at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
“The camp in Antigua at the Coolidge Cricket Ground just before Christmas was very good, and we got a lot out of it,” he said. “We focused a lot on match-situations and did that while also focusing on our fitness, strength, and other important physical work.”
“Earlier in November we had a camp and matches in Trinidad, which was also hugely beneficial. This came after the tour of Sri Lanka where we played red-ball and white-ball matches, and had some outstanding individual and team performances, so we had a lot of quality preparation leading into the World Cup.”
He added: “We are very excited. We are an enthusiastic and closely knit group of young cricketers who are very honoured to represent the people of the West Indies and participate in this prestigious tournament.
“Over the years this has been the stepping-stone for many young players to launch their careers, so we all see this as a golden opportunity to perform on the world stage and do great things for the West Indies. As the captain, it is a special honour to lead the team.”
The squad for the World Cup includes most of the players who made the trip last year to Sri Lanka.
Among them are three players who played in the 2022 World Cup, which was staged in the West Indies.
They are fast bowler Isai Thorne, left-handed all-rounder Nathan Edward, and left-handed batsman Jordan Johnson.
Thorne made his first-class debut for the Cricket 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 runs a wicket.
Johnson joined the West Indies A Team last month on the tour of South Africa, where he made his first-class debut in the third and final four-day “Test”.
For the tournament, the West Indies have been drawn alongside the South Africans, Scotland, and England in Group B for their first-round matches, all to be played at the J.B. Marks Oval.
Before that they will have warm-up matches against New Zealand and Nepal in Johannesburg.
“All matches are important as we look to make our way to the final,” Pascal said. “We will plan for every opponent and look to execute our plans.
“Obviously, playing the opening match against the home team, that will be a match to really look forward to. The pressure and the expectation will make it a big match. We want to start with a win, so everyone will be looking ahead to that.
“We are a well-balanced team with good players in all departments. We support each other in all we do, and we have great assistance, advice, and support from our coaches, and the other members of the management staff. There is great belief in our camp, and we are confident of doing well in the tournament.”
The top three sides from each first round group will progress to the Super Six stage to be played from 30 January to 3 February.
The semi-finals will be on February 6 and 8, and the final is on February 11 at Willowmore Park in Benoni.
Five-time champions India, who won the tournament two years ago, head Group A with Bangladesh, Ireland and the United States.
Group C features Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, while Group D is made up of Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Nepal.
Windies Under-19 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, Adrian Weir.
MATCH SCHEDULE
Warm-up matches
January
14: vs New Zealand at Braamfischer Oval, Johannesburg
16: vs Nepal at St Stithians, Johannesburg
First round matches
19: vs South Africa at J.B. Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
24: vs Scotland at J.B. Marks Oval
26: vs England at J.B. Marks Oval
