– backs himself to perform

FOURTEEN West Indies-A team players will showcase their talents when they participate in a Tri-Nation series with India and hosts England Lions, as Cricket West Indies (CWI) continues to place great emphasis on the A-team programme.

The tour, according to CWI, aims at giving players international experience and to ensure that “players have the best possible preparation along the pathway to becoming an elite athlete.

Guyanese Keemo Paul and Chandrapaul Hemraj are a part of the squad, which departed the Caribbean last week.

For Hemraj, the 24-year-old accepts that touring England and the conditions there are always problematic for batsmen. However, he told Chronicle Sport that he is definitely up for the challenge.

“It’s definitely would be challenging, I will try to adapt as quickly as possible, believe in myself, back my talent and ability to perform,” he said.

Hemraj was also one of four debutants called to the Windies-A team earlier in the year, where the Caribbean side comprehensively beat the England Lions. Unfortunately for Hemraj he was ruled out following a hamstring injury after the first game of the three-match series in Antigua.

That was a major setback for the left-hander, who has been enjoying a productive time with the bat prior to his maiden West Indies-A call-up.

He was Guyana Jaguars leading run-scorer in the Professional Cricket League (PCL) Four-day tournament. His contribution was vital to Jaguars winning the title for the fourth year in succession.

Hemraj, who had left the game in 2014 after playing first-class cricket, on the back of his West Indies Under-19 performances, returned to score 623 runs from 10 regional games this season.

Among those 623 runs were five 50s, the batsman getting out for 90 on one occasion.

Hemraj also had good returns in the Super50 Festival that followed, scoring 227 runs from nine games, with two fifties, the highest of which was 80.

Following those performances, Hemraj was one of those successful drafts for this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Hemraj has gone to the St Lucia Stars, the franchise dishing out US$5 000 for his services.

Meanwhile, the one-day series in England includes a double round robin with a final and will run from June 17 to July 2. Before that there will be two warm-up matches.

The 14-man squad reads: Jason Mohammed – captain, Sunil Ambris, Jermaine Blackwood, Rahkeem Cornwall, Dominic Drakes, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Chemar Holder, Andre McCarthy, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Raymon Reifer, Devon Thomas, Oshane Thomas and Jomel Warrican