Thurton tipped to lead TT U-19 cricketers

Thurton gets the nod because West Indies youth players Kirstan Kallicharan and Cephas Cooper who were at the helm of their respective North and South teams in the annual TT CB Under-19 Classic last Saturday, will be on tour with the West Indies Under-19 team during the first two weeks of August.

Apart from Kallicharan and Cooper, opener Keagan Simmons, fast bowler Tishawn Alleyne and all-rounder Matthew Patrick are also in the WI Youth touring squad which will be involved in two One- Day series against South Africa and Zimbabwe youths.

They will miss the first two rounds on competition but will return in time for the third round.

They will join the Trinidad and Tobago contingent in St Kitts where both the Under 19 two-innings and 50-overs competitions will be staged from July 21 to August 28.

On their return from the South Africa/Zimbabwe tours, all five players will travel to St Kitts and join the TT team.

Central Zone’s Saiba Batoosingh, who was TT ’s Under-19 vice-captain last year, should also be in this year’s squad that will be made up of at least five 15-year-olds who have advanced their chances of national selection with outstanding performances during the 2017 Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL) and TT CB Shell Inter-Zone competitions.

Leonard Julien is expected to do duties behind the stumps and will be one of the frontline batsmen along with Avinash Mahabirsingh, Leonardo Francis, all-rounder Ronaldo Forrester and medium pacer Jayden Seales.

All-rounders Sachin Seecharan and Justyn Gangoo have also impressed with their performances while newcomers Jace Assoon and Aaron Mairam, both top orders batsmen, are strong contenders to be in the 14-member squad to be announced shortly. Medium pacers Shaaron Lewis and Jean Phillipe- Barrie are also in line for selection.

The national under 19 selection committee comprises Lalman Kowlessar (chairman) plus former national senior players Roland Sampath, Deonarine Deyal, David Furlonge and Surujdath Mahabir.

They were at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva on Saturday last when inclement weather conditions forced an abandonment of the Under-19 Classic with only eight overs bowled in North’s innings.

Jayden Seales shone brightly in the damp conditions and captured four quick wickets and had the North team in disarray at 24 for five before a heavy downpour soon after ended the match