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The Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel on Friday announced a 15-member squad and five reserves for the ICC U-19 World Cup slated to be played in the West Indies in January next year.
The squad will be led by Ackeem Auguste, the left-handed middle-order batsman, with all-rounder Giovonte Depeiza, as the vice-captain. "It is a special honor to be named to captain the West Indies team. To represent the people of our region is a special privilege and it's a really exciting time for me and my teammates and we know this is a great opportunity on the international stage," said skipper Ackeem Auguste. Cricket West Indies said the players were selected following the recent high-performance camp and preparation matches which featured 28 players at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. "Overall, the selectors are very pleased with what we have been seeing from these players and we expect some very exciting cricket in the World Cup. The batting is solid, our concern coming out of the tour of England was the middle-order, but we saw some really good performances in the camp and some very good partnerships," said Lead selector Robert Haynes in a CWI release. "The bowling is very good, and we think we have the right combination of spinners and fast bowlers. This is a balanced squad and the players are very excited. It is now for these youngsters to go out and put on display what they learned in the camps which were organized for their benefit," he added. West Indies have been drawn in Group D alongside Australia, Scotland and Sri Lanka for the 16-team tournament which will be played from January 14 to February 5. "Coming out of the last camp in Antigua, we have seen a lot of improvement and development in the players, and we came up with a very good squad," said head coach Floyd Reifer. "I'm confident that we have a well-balanced team going into the World Cup, and we have the team to do very well in the tournament. We have a lot of talented players and what we are working on is the tactical side of our preparations," he added. Matches will be played in Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, and Guyana. Before the ICC U19 World Cup, a five-match warm-up series is being planned with details to be announced in the coming days. (ANI)
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