Carty, Athanaze to lead West Indies ‘A’ against England Lions

ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC):

Out-of-form West Indies batters Keacy Carty and Alick Athanaze will captain West Indies ‘A’ in next month’s One-Day International and T20 series, respectively, against England Lions.

The 29-year-old Carty was yesterday named by Cricket West Indies (CWI) to lead the 15-member ODI squad in the five-match series, while Athanaze, 27, will captain the 13-member T20 squad for its three-match campaign.

The T20 series will run from November 1 to 3, while the ODI series is scheduled for November 7-16.

In a release, CWI said the ODI squad was selected with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which begins in February, as its immediate focus, while also building towards the 2027 World Cup.

After a superb start to his ODI career, Carty has struggled for runs in recent matches.

He made scores of 13 and nine in the opening two ODIs against India before being dropped for the final match of the recently concluded tour of the Asian subcontinent.

Despite his recent struggles, Carty averages 39.91 from 55 ODIs for the West Indies, with four centuries and six half-centuries.

Meanwhile, Athanaze last represented the West Indies during their T20 International series against Afghanistan in January.

The left-hander, who has played 17 Tests and ODIs, along with 15 T20 Internationals, has not featured for the Men in Maroon in any format since 2025.

Hard-hitting opener Zachary Carter has been included in the T20 squad, which also features fellow Barbadians Zishan Motara and pacer Jahkeem Pollard.

Kamil Pooran, who made his senior debut on the tour of India, and wrist-spinner Vitel Lawes have also been selected.

Meanwhile, little-known Stewart Thompson has earned a call-up.

The Jamaican fast bowler was identified as a prospect by CWI bowling consultant Ottis Gibson during the first bowling camp held earlier this year.

The ODI squad includes the return of pacer Oshane Thomas, while Rivaldo Clarke and promising top-order batter Shaqkere Parris will be aiming to make an impression.

Clarke captained a West Indies Academy side to a 2-1 victory over Sri Lanka Emerging XI in their three-match 50-over series in June.

Mikyle Louis, who has played 10 Tests, will join the squad throughout the series as a development attachment as he continues to work on his white-ball game within the high-performance programme.

Gibson will coach the side, with batting coach Rohan Nurse and spin-bowling coach Nikita Miller serving as his assistants.

CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe said the series presents an ideal opportunity for players to stake their claim.

“The Qualifier in February is the most important assignment of our 50-over year, and we are treating it that way. Our aim is to win it and take that form to the World Cup in October.

“These One-Day matches are a big part of how we choose the players to do that, and the T20 matches start the work for 2028,” Bascombe said.

“Ottis Gibson knows what international cricket demands. We’ve asked him to give every player clarity about their role, to tell us who is closest to stepping up, and what each player needs to work on to give them the best chance when they do.”

West Indies ‘A’ T20 Squad

Alick Athanaze (captain), Jewel Andrew, Zachary Carter, Shadrack Descarte, Keon Gaston, Karima Gore, Joshua James, Vitel Lawes, Zishan Motara, Jakeem Pollard, Kamil Pooran, Quentin Sampson, Stewart Thompson.

West Indies ‘A’ One-Day Squad

Keacy Carty (captain), Kevlon Anderson, Jewel Andrew, Alick Athanaze, Jediah Blades, Rivaldo Clarke, Shadrack Descarte, Jyd Goolie, Vitel Lawes, Kirk McKenzie, Micah McKenzie, Shaqkere Parris, Jakeem Pollard, Shamar Springer, Oshane Thomas.