The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Under-17 tournament is slated to commence from July 4th in Trinidad and Tobago. Some Caribbean teams have already been announced, but Guyana is yet to announce its 14-member squad.
The Leeward Islands, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago have already announced their 14-member teams, and those have already begun playing warm-up matches. Guyana’s Under-17 team has not even been named, and the inclement weather has, moreover, prevented any cricket from being played.
The Inter-County Under-17 Tournament bowled off in Guyana since April 2019, and the four teams involved have each played three matches. West Indies Under-15 player Mavindra Dindyal has been the leading run-scorer in that tournament, with 174 runs in three matches. He looked the most complete batsman, with scores of 104, 03 and 67.
Guyana Under-17 Select Team during the Under- 19 Inter-County tournament
His West Indies Under-15 team mate Rampertab Ramnauth had 109 runs in that tournament. Matthew Nandu, who is likely to lead the Guyana Under-17 team, had scored 103 runs in that tournament. He hails from Canada, and is the youngest player to be drafted in the Global T20 Canada, where he will be in the dressing rooms, rubbing shoulders with Chris Gayle and Andre Russell.
Sarwan Chaitnarine, another star performer with the bat, scored 109 runs in that tournament; and other performers who should be included are Sheldon Charles, Andre Seepersaud, Chanderpaul Ramraj, Zeynul Ramsammy, Niran Bissu, Marvan Prashad and Daniel Mottoo.
In addition to the inter-county tournament played in April, the Guyana Select Under-17 Team played in both the 3-day and 1-day formats of the Inter-County Under-19 tournament in April/May. That tournament, which was highly competitive, was used as preparation for the Guyana Under-17 team.
The 2019 CWI Regional Tournament is slated for play from July 4 to July 15 in Trinidad and Tobago. With the tournament slated to commence in a matter of days, the team ought to be announced shortly, and players would have to be match ready. Barbados are defending champions, while Guyana finished third in 2018. (Brandon Corlette)
