BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – West Indies Under-19 coach Roddy Estwick says a heavy emphasis will be placed on spin bowling as the players undergo a training camp here this week in preparation for next month’s tour of India. Estwick said the young Caribbean batsmen will be expected to face plenty slow bowling on the low subcontinent pitches and would need to be prepared.
“We are looking at all the technical issues which came out of the (youth) tournament in Guyana and look to see how we can correct any faults and enhance those skills which the players have,” the former Barbados seamer said.
“During this camp we will have a strong bias towards playing spin bowling … a lot of emphasis will be placed on how to approach spin bowling, which will be very important for the lads as they prepare to go off to India.
“As we know, in India, you can expect to get pitches which will favour slow bowling.”
The 19-man squad, which includes Test batsman and captain Kraigg Brathwaite, will be put through their paces at the High Performance Centre at UWI Cave Hill by the management team which also includes Estwick, assistant coach Stuart Williams and team manager Courtney Walsh.
A full of assessment of players will be carried out, especially with several new players having been included following the recent WICB Regional Under-19 Championship.
“This is a talented group of players and they all did well in the tournament. The majority played before in Dubai and Florida, but we have a few new players who have joined the group and it is important that everyone understands what we’re aiming to achieve and that we all work together for West Indies,” said Estwick.
“This camp we will be doing a lot of videoing as it is very important that the players see themselves and make improvements in their game. We know the areas we are looking to strengthen and the tour of India will give us a gauge of where we are and where we need to be to win the World Cup next year and bring it back to the people of the West Indies.”
The tour of India will be used as preparation for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, set for Australia next year August.
SQUAD – Kraigg Brathwaite, Ronsford Beaton, Amir Khan, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Derone Davis, Akeal Hosein, Steven Katwaroo, Emmanuel Lett, Marquino Mindley, Donovan Nelson, John Campbell, Bryan Gayle, Sunil Ambris, Kavem Hodge, Larry Edward, Jerome Jones, Anthony Alleyne, Justin Greaves, Kyle Mayers.