ALTON BECKFORD
COUVA, Trinidad (CMC):
TWENTY CRICKETERS, picked by the West Indies selectors to prepare for the ICC Youth World Cup (YWC) in Sri Lanka in February, will begin a two-week training camp today at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Development Centre.
Among them are three Jamaicans, Alton Beckford, Zeniffe Fowler and Andre McCarthy, along with spinners Sunil Narine and Rishi Bachan who were at the centre of Trinidad & Tobago's success in both the TCL Group West Indies Under-19 three-day and limited overs competitions in St. Vincent and the Grenadines earlier this year.
Bachan, a left-arm spinner, grabbed 25 wickets in the three-day tournament, while off-spinner Narine snared 33 wickets to lead T&T's bowling attack.
Bachan is the only survivor from the squad that finished runners-up to Pakistan in the 2004 YWC in Bangladesh.
As a 17-year-old, Bachan was the top bowler for the West Indies in that final Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, grabbing three for 34 off 10 overs in Pakistan's total of 230 for nine off 50 overs.
The Young West Indies had replied with 205 all out to lose by 25 runs.
Bachan and Narine are joined in the Windies 20 by T&T's all-rounder Jason Mohammed and batsmen William Perkins and Kieron Pollard.
Talented off-spinning all-rounder Shamarh Brooks, along with the fast bowling duo of Kemar Roach and Jevon Searles, are in from beaten finalists Barbados.
Guyana's Leon Johnson, who scored the tournament's only double century, has also been selected.
WARM-UP SERIES
The West Indies Under-19 cricket team will play five One-Day matches against Pakistan, in a warm-up series before the Youth World Cup in Sri Lanka.
Among those selected to conduct sessions with the squad during the camp are former West Indies wicketkeeper David Willams (wicket-keeping), Zephyrinus Nicholas (physical training), and Dr. Terrence Babwah (Nutrition & Injury Prevention).
TRAINING SQUAD:
Shamarh Brooks, Kemar Roach, Jevon Searles (Barbados); Jeremy Gordon, Leon Johnson, Richard Ramdeen, and Gajanand Singh (Guyana); Alton Beckford, Zeniffe Fowler, and Andre McCarthy (Jamaica); Javier Liburd and Kieron Powell (Leewards); Rishi Bachan, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, William Perkins, and Kieron Pollard (T&T); and Heron Campbell, Andre Fletcher, and Nelon Pascal (Windwards). Manager - Roger Harper. Coach - Roddy Estwick.
