THE West Indies Under-19 team opens a new chapter in their World Cup preparation when they take on England in a seven-match Youth ODI series starting on Sunday in Grenada.

The series marks another key step in examining the squad’s readiness for the ICC Under-19 World Cup early next year, with head coach Rohan Nurse eager to see further progress from his young side.

The Caribbean youngsters head into the contest on the back of a hard-fought 4–3 series win over Sri Lanka in Antigua just over two months ago and Nurse believes the lessons from that tour will be invaluable as the group continues to develop.

There are three changes to the squad which opposed Sri Lanka in August and September with DeShawn James returning from injury while Kunal Tilokani and Tanez Francis, were included after impressive performances in the regional Under-17 tournament.

Afraz Ali Buhdoo, Micah Greenidge and Pajay Nelson miss out on the England series but along with Jewel Andrew and Micah McKenzie they will form part of the larger player pool from which the World Cup squad will be selected in a few months’ time.

“We were really impressed with the resilience shown by the players in the last series, especially since it was the first time they had been together as a team,” Nurse said.

“Those are elements that can’t necessarily be coached – they have to be developed within the group, and we’re quite happy with that. We want to build on it going forward.”

While satisfied with the team’s fighting spirit, Nurse identified specific areas for improvement and emphasised the importance of consistency and concentration if West Indies are to assert dominance across the series.

“One of the main things we’ve emphasised is maintaining intensity in all departments – batting, bowling and especially fielding. We want to create some kind of advantage in that area,” Nurse explained.

“We’ve seen that we can put together very good performances and be competitive at the international Under-19 level. It all starts at the top from a batting viewpoint and being able to convert when we get starts. That’s been a key focus in preparation. From a bowling standpoint, we’ve also worked on clearly defining roles and identifying who best suits which role.”

With the Under-19 World Cup on the horizon, the England series represents an important stage on which to build a competitive, cohesive unit capable of handling international demands.

“This series comes at a really good time for us,” Nurse said.

“Now, it’s more about moving toward a performance-driven environment – while still helping the guys understand professionalism, expectations and roles on and off the field.”

West Indies Under-19 Squad vs England: Joshua Dorne, Shaquan Belle, Brendan Boodoo, Tyriek Bryan, Zachary Carter, Earsinho Fontaine, Tanez Francis, R’Jai Gittens, DeShawn James, Vitel Lawes, Matthew Miller, Isra-el Morton, Jakeem Pollard, Aadian Racha, Kunal Tilokani, Johnathan Van Lange,

Team Management Unit: Head Coach – Rohan Nurse, Assistant Coach – Jerome Taylor, Assistant Coach – Nikita Miller, Physiotherapist – Kwayne Dalrymple, Strength & Conditioning Coach – Shayne Cooper, Team Analyst – Keshava Ramphal, Manager – Clint St Hill

Match Schedule:

1st Y-ODI – November 16

2nd Y-ODI–November 19

3rd Y-ODI –November 21

4th Y-ODI –November 24

5th Y-ODI –November 26

6th Y-ODI –November 29

7th Y-ODI –December 1