As the highly anticipated 2025 Windward Islands Senior Men’s Cricket Tournament approaches, Saint Lucia has announced its 14-player competitive squad, bringing a mix of experienced leadership, returning star power, and exciting youth prospects to the table. The tournament, hosted entirely in Grenada, will run from July 26 through to the final match on August 3, drawing regional teams from across the Windward Islands archipelago to compete for the regional title.
At the helm of the Saint Lucian squad is new captain Shadrack Descarte, an accomplished allrounder who earned the leadership appointment off the back of consistent, high-impact performances for both the Windward Islands Volcanoes and the Saint Lucia Kings franchise in recent regional competitions. Serving alongside Descarte as vice-captain is fellow allrounder Tarrique Edward, a young player who climbed the ranks through Saint Lucia’s youth development system and earned his first senior international cap just last year in 2024.
One of the most notable inclusions in the squad is the return of opening batsman Stephen Naitram, one of the island’s most destructive top-order hitters, who missed out on selection for the 2024 iteration of the tournament. The 31-year-old Forestierre native has been in devastating form across domestic limited-overs competitions in the past year: he turned in dominant displays in both the Dream11 T10 Blast and the Saint Lucia Premier League, and played a key role in leading the Banana Warriors to a title win at the 2024 Nature Isle T10. Naitram’s comeback fills the gaps left by the absences of current West Indies international Ackeem Auguste and former Windward Islands youth captain Johnnel Eugene.
Joining Descarte and Naitram in the group of returning key players are former West Indies Under-19 captain Kimani Melius, Windward Islands wicketkeeper Noelle Leo, veteran left-arm spinner Jaden Elibox, and fast-bowling allrounder Tyrel Chicot. The squad also showcases four first-time senior call-ups ready to make their mark at the regional level: Dominic Auguste, Joshua Cepal, Royce Paul, and Tyler Venner.
Each of the four rookies brings unique strengths to the Saint Lucian side. Cepal and Paul, two promising young fast bowlers, have been tapped to fill the bowling vacancies created by the departures of Keon Gaston and McKenny Clarke. Allrounder Venner enters the squad off a red-hot run of form at the Cricket West Indies Rising Stars 50-Over Championship, where he notched back-to-back half-centuries to cement his reputation as a rising talent. Dominic Auguste, a powerful top-order batter, also adds depth to the squad as a backup wicketkeeper.
Rounding out the 14-man roster are Windward Islands Under-19 captain and opening batsman Theo Edward, who turned in an impressive performance at the recent regional youth championship, right-arm offspinner Lee John, and left-arm medium pacer Shawnil Edward.
Leading the team’s coaching staff for the tournament is former West Indies offspinner Garey Mathurin, who takes on the head coach role. A certified Level 3 cricket coach, Mathurin brings extensive regional coaching experience, having previously worked with the Windward Islands Volcanoes senior side. Nerville Florence returns to his post as team manager, a position he has held successfully for the past two editions of the tournament.
For Saint Lucia, the road to the title kicks off early with a one-off three-day warm-up fixture against the Commonwealth of Dominica, scheduled to start this Sunday at Grenada’s Tanteen Cricket Ground. The official Super-50 Championship group stage gets underway next Thursday, where defending champions Saint Lucia will open their title defense against St Vincent & the Grenadines at Tanteen. Following the opening group match, Saint Lucia will face Dominica and hosts Grenada at La Sagesse Cricket Ground, with the tournament final set to take place on Monday, August 3 at the same La Sagesse venue.