Cricket West Indies (CWI) has named 22 of the most promising young female cricketers from across the Caribbean to attend a two-week elite High-Performance camp in Antigua, with preparations for the 2027 ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup now ramping up. Five players from Barbados earned selections, marking the second-largest national contingent at the camp – trailing only tournament winners Trinidad and Tobago, who secured seven spots. Among the Barbadian group is Eboni Brathwaite, the top run-scorer of the recently concluded CWI Rising Stars Under-19 Women’s Championship, where Barbados claimed the runner-up position behind Trinidad and Tobago.
Regional representation is rounded out by four selections from the Leeward Islands, two picks apiece for the Windward Islands, Jamaica and Guyana, reflecting a broad scouting of talent across Caribbean territories. The high-intensity camp kicked off on Monday and will run through August 29, bringing emerging players straight from the regional championship grounds to the elite training environment in a deliberately structured timeline.
Dwain Gill, CWI’s High-Performance Manager, explained the strategic logic behind the immediate transition from competitive tournament to specialized training. “The Rising Stars Championship gave us a valuable opportunity to see these players compete, respond to pressure and demonstrate their potential in a regional environment,” Gill noted. “We did not want that assessment process to end with the tournament. Bringing the selected players directly into camp allows us to build on what we have seen, work more closely with them and begin addressing the areas that will be critical to their progression.”
Selections for the camp were not based solely on raw tournament stats; CWI’s selection panel weighed multiple factors including on-field performance results, in-depth technical evaluations, age eligibility requirements, tactical game awareness, on-pitch temperament, competitive drive and overall physical fitness. Once at the camp, athletes will undergo a holistic development program targeting four core domains: technical skill refinement, tactical game understanding, physical conditioning, and mental resilience for high-stakes competition.
Leading the on-field training schedule is Ryan Austin, assistant coach of the senior West Indies women’s national team, who will be joined by two seasoned cricket figures: former West Indies wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich and Ramesh Subasinghe, head coach of the West Indies Academy. Beyond Brathwaite, the full 22-player roster includes Davehjah Brown, Zaniyah Bruce, CQuinya Dasent, Jessica Davis, Kaela George, Brianna Harricharan, Sabriel Headley, Allia Henry, Theanny Herbert-Mayers, Jadaeya Holder, Shriya Jairam, Danielle Manns, Jannah Mohammed, Brianna Plummer, Sian Ramnarine, Samara Ramnath, Zara Skerritt, Amrita Ramtahal, Jaeda Tyrell, Leanga Warner and Aaliyah Weekes. The camp marks a key milestone in CWI’s long-term pathway to develop a competitive squad for the 2027 global tournament, identifying and nurturing the next generation of West Indies female cricket stars.