McCarthy aims to make chance count against South Africa

In-form spinner Nikita Miller heads a list of four Jamaicans named in the WICB President's XI 13-man squad to face South Africa in a one-day match at Queen's Park Oval next Sunday.

The top wicket-taker in the recently-concluded WICB First-Class Tournament, Miller is joined by out-of-form West Indies Test batsman Jermaine Blackwood and uncapped internationals, rising batsman AndrÈ McCarthy and leg-spinner Damion Jacobs.

McCarthy, who has been drafted to represent the Jamaica Tallawahs in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League Twenty20, was the Jamaica Scorpions' top batsman in the First-Class tournament.

Jacobs, in the meanwhile, finished behind Miller on the Scorpions roster.

"I am not too surprised about the call-up as I think I did fairly well in the regional Super50 in January," stated 28-year-old McCarthy.

PUTTING OUT THE BEST

"The aim right now is to just take it one step at a time and go out there, show my abilities, and try to make best use of the opportunity."

The President's XI also features two members of the West Indies Under-19 World Cup winning team in Bangladesh four months ago, captain Shimron Hetmyer of Guyana and stand-out fast bowler Alzarri Joseph of the Leeward Islands.

The squad, which will be captained by Test batsman Kraigg Brathwaite, also has young stroke-maker Evin Lewis of Trinidad and Tobago, who was a member of the West Indies team that won the ICC World T20 in India last month.

The South Africans will use the encounter in their build-up to the upcoming Tri-Nation ODI Series, which also features the West Indies and Australia.

SQUAD: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Jermaine Blackwood, Damion Jacobs, Shane Dowrich, Jason Mohammed, Evin Lewis, Alzarri Joseph, Jon Russ Jaggesar, AndrÈ McCarthy, Nikita Miller, Rayad Emrit, Delorn Johnson.