BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Exciting rookie West Indies opener Johnson Charles tops the list of 16 players invited to the High Performance Centre of this year’s programme which bowls off June 1.
Charles, who has played five One-Day Internationals and four Twenty20s, will be joined by fellow West Indies limited overs batsman Andre Fletcher and all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite.
The programme, which will run until May next year, will be overseen by Englishman Graeme West who has taken over form Jamaican Andre Coley.
Coley served as interim head coach following the departure of Englishman Toby Radford in April last year.
A bold shot-maker, the 23-year-old Charles was picked for the T20 doubleheader against England in London last September and recently impressed in the ODI series against Australia in March despite failing to get big scores.
Fletcher, meanwhile, has played 15 ODIs and 14 T20s since making his debut in 2008 but lost his place in the side last year after a run of poor form.
Brathwaite has been identified as one with promise and was picked for West Indies’ tour of Bangladesh last year after a handful of first class games.
The 24-year-old has played one ODI and T20.
Barbadian top order batsman Kyle Hope has also been included in the programme along with Windward Islands batsmen Keddy Lesporis and the Jamaican fast bowling duo of Sheldon Cotterell and Jason Dawes.
The West Indies Cricket Board said Wednesday more attention would be paid this time around to mental aspect of the players’ development.
“The HPC programme has been broadened to focus more intensely on developing the mental prowess of the players in addition to the standard rigorous training in skills development and fitness required for high performance athletes,” a Board release said.
“The players will also benefit from specialised training in a number of other areas including their roles as ambassadors, personal development, anti-doping, anti-corruption and media skills among other areas.”
The HPC has produced players of the likes of fast bowler Shannon Gabriel who made his Test debut against England earlier this month, and Kieran Powell who is currently on West Indies duty on the current tour.
Players will be based at the HPC’s facilities located at the UWI Cave Hill Campus.
SQUAD – Marlon Barclay, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cotterell, Miguel Cummins, Jason Dawes, Andre Fletcher, Dawnley Grant, Trevon Griffith, Kyle Hope, Jahmar Hamilton, Keddy Lesporis, Kjorn Ottley, Jomel Warrican.
