BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados have named a weakened 14-man squad for this year’s regional Under-19 Championship, with the standout pair of Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich unavailable because of their commitments to the High Performance Centre.
The duo, seen as crucial to Barbados’ chances in the tournament which bowls off next month in St Lucia, were part of the first batch of players invited to the newly-opened academy at the UWI Cave Hill Campus.
Holder, a gangling fast bowler, has already represented the Barbados senior team and was one of the leading bowlers for the West Indies Under-19s with 13 wickets at an average of 17, at the ICC Youth World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year.
Dowrich, meanwhile, is a wicketkeeper and an attacking right-hander who also impressed at the Youth World Cup.
He scored 229 runs at an average of 45 to be among the tournament’s top 10 batsmen and was promptly given his first class debut for Barbados in the WICB four-day Championship when he returned.
Dowrich also represented West Indies A against Zimbabwe earlier this year in the African side’s tour of the Caribbean.
Barbados, though, will be boosted by the inclusion of the prolific opener Kraigg Brathwaite, currently on duty in England with West Indies A.
Brathwaite was the second highest run-scorer at the Youth World Cup with 335 runs at an average of 77.
The obdurate right-hander is one of six players who also played in last year’s tournament in Jamaica.
Roston Chase, Marquez Clarke, Kyle Mayers, Mario Rampersaud and Jomel Warrican are the other players.
A captain is yet to be named for the July 6 to August 5 championship.
Team: Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Marquez Clarke, Kyle Mayers, Mario Rampersaud, Jomel Warrican, Dario Cummins, Rico DePeiza, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Shane Parris, Ravendra Persaud, Clint St Hill, Shakeen Wilkinson.
