CWI gathers top women’s prospects

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has named 22 Under-19 female players to participate in a high-performance camp ahead of next year’s ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup.

The majority of the participants were drawn from Trinidad and Tobago’s title-winning team that recently captured the CWI Rising Stars Under-19 Women’s Championship as well as runners-up Barbados.

Seven members of the Trinidad and Tobago squad have been selected while Barbados accounts for five players. The Leeward Islands are represented by four players, while the Windward Islands, Jamaica and Guyana each have two players in the group.

The players moved directly from the regional tournament into the two-week high-performance camp in Antigua, which began on August 17 and will run until August 29.

Among those selected is Barbados’ Eboni Brathwaite, the leading run-scorer in the recently concluded CWI Rising Stars Under-19 Women’s Championship.

Valuable opportunity

CWI High-Performance Manager Dwain Gill said the immediate transition from regional competition into a high-performance environment was both intentional and important to the players’ development.

“The Rising Stars Championship gave us a valuable opportunity to see these players compete, respond to pressure, and demonstrate their potential in a regional environment.

“We did not want that assessment process to end with the tournament. Bringing the selected players directly into camp allows us to build on what we have seen, work more closely with them, and begin addressing the areas that will be critical to their progression,” Gill said.

“This is an important first step in building a group that can be competitive at the 2027 World Cup while also developing players who can contribute to West Indies women’s cricket beyond the under-19 level.”

The initiative forms part of CWI’s deliberate approach to identifying, developing, and preparing the next generation of West Indies women cricketers for the demands of international competition.

Selection for the camp was based on a combination of on-field performances and technical assessments, age eligibility for the 2027 World Cup, tactical awareness, temperament, competitiveness, fitness, and the overall balance and composition of the squad.

The camp is focused on technical, tactical, physical, and mental development while providing players with greater exposure to the standards, intensity, and expectations associated with progression to the international level.

On the field, the players will work with several members of CWI’s high-performance coaching staff, led by senior women’s assistant coach Ryan Austin. They will also be guided by Shane Dowrich, who has been involved with the West Indies Women’s recent assignments, including the ICC T20 World Cup in England and Wales, and West Indies Academy head coach Ramesh Subasinghe.

High-performance squad

Eboni Brathwaite, Davehjah Brown, Zaniyah Bruce, CQuinya Dasent, Jessica Davis, Kaela George, Brianna Harricharan, Sabriel Headley, Allia Henry, Theanny Herbert-Mayers, Jadaeya Holder, Shriya Jairam, Danielle Manns, Jannah Mohammed, Brianna Plummer, Sian Ramnarine, Samara Ramnath, Zara Skerritt, Amrita Ramtahal, Jaeda Tyrell, Leanga Warner, Aaliyah Weekes.