Nandu, Amurdan shine as WI U19 get match prep ahead of World Cup

The players in the West Indies U19 Rising Stars camp received some game-time on Thursday with a 50-over warm-up match at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. After two days of intense net sessions and fitness routines, the 28 squad members got their first taste of competition with an intra-squad match.

Opening batsman Anderson Amurdan was the standout performer with a well-made half-century on a good batting surface. The stocky right-hander top scored with 77 off 110 balls, with eight fours in 2 ¼ hours at the crease.
He shared a century opening stand with Shaq Parris, who made 42 off 61 balls, with four fours and a six.

They looked solid at the crease, and led the Giovonte DePeiza Team to 212-4 off 42.3 overs, winning the match by six wickets against the Ackeem Auguste Team, which made 210 all out after being asked to bat first.
The Amurdan-Parris partnership ended when Parris was smartly stumped by Carleon Bowen-Tuckett as he advanced down the pitch and missed a delivery from Amrit Dass.
Teddy Bishop then showed his class with a number of well-timed strokes on both sides of the wicket. He strolled to a run-a-ball 40 that included five boundaries.
Leg-spinner Matthew Nandu then snapped up three wickets, as he bowled Bishop with a delivery which kept low and defeated the batsman, then he had Amurdan caught in the deep as he attempted to clear the on-side; and he had Kyle Kissondath caught by Nathan Edward.
Nandu ended with 3-20 off nine overs, to end with the best figures for the day.
The first half of the match was dominated by a face-saving partnership between Edwards and fellow left-hander Anderson Mahase. The pair came together at 118-8, and added 80 for the ninth wicket to save the innings. Mahase made 61 not out off 72 balls, which included five fours and a six, while Edward contributed 25 off 22 balls, including back-to-back boundaries.
The next warm-up match will be played on Monday at the same venue, as the youngsters continue preparing for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. Cricket West Indies will host the 14th edition of this tournament for the first time ever, as the event which showcases the future stars of cricket will see 16 teams travelling to the Caribbean to compete in 48 matches across four host countries from January 14 to February 5.
The four host countries have been confirmed as Antigua, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad, with 10 venues hosting matches. The format will see the top two teams from each of the four groups advancing to the Super League, while the remaining teams feature in the Plate across 23 days of competition. (Windies Cricket)