PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad — In a decisive move to strengthen the future of West Indies cricket, Cricket West Indies (CWI) convened a high-level Talent Identification Workshop in Trinidad from May 8–10, drawing together its key network of Territorial Talent Identifiers during the staging of the West Indies Breakout League.
Held in tandem with the developmental tournament, the three-day workshop was designed to harmonize scouting strategy and integrate high-performance methodologies across the region—laying critical groundwork for aligning regional talent evaluation with the demands of international cricket.
Strategic alignment with international standards
The sessions were led by Miles Bascombe, CWI’s Director of Cricket, and included high-impact presentations and deep-dive discussions with Senior Men’s Team Head Coach Daren Sammy, High Performance Manager Dwain Gill, Senior Talent Manager Jamal Smith, and Performance Analyst Avenesh Seetaram.
“This is a great initiative brought on by CWI with all the talent IDs that we have around the region,” said Coach Sammy, who emphasized the importance of context, clarity, and consistency in scouting and evaluation. “The workshop gave us the opportunity to show our Talent IDs a template that they could mirror in their home territories, regarding planning and tactical aspects at the international level.”
Standardizing talent evaluation
A key goal of the workshop was to establish a standardized player assessment model that all six regional territories can implement. Participants were exposed to the same data collection tools, depth charting systems, and selection criteria used by the senior West Indies squad—thus ensuring a direct connection between grassroots scouting and elite-level expectations.
According to CWI, this initiative forms a crucial part of its strategic blueprint to elevate regional player development while tightening the bridge between local cricket and the demands of all three international formats.
“The workshop’s main objective is to ensure that the Territorial Talent Identifiers know the processes that drive selection and, by extension, talent identification and development,” said a CWI spokesperson. “The input and feedback from the group was extremely valuable and provided a foundation for continuous collaboration.”
Charting the course back to global dominance
Coach Sammy underscored the pivotal role the talent identifiers will play in the resurgence of West Indies cricket on the global stage. “We explained the brand of cricket we want to play and how we will use the regional level as the starting point to plot our way to the summit of international cricket yet again,” he said.
“With the expertise of Jamal Smith and Avenesh Seetaram, we showed the talent IDs what is required to be on par with the rest of the world,” Sammy added. “Over these last few days, the workshop presented the opportunity for the team to give guidance to the talent IDs, which was met with great enthusiasm and passion.”
The regional eyes on the ground
The six Territorial Talent Identifiers in attendance were:
- Henderson Broomes (Barbados)
- Ramnaresh Sarwan (Guyana)
- Delroy Morgan (Jamaica)
- Samuel Spencer (Leeward Islands)
- Gibran Mohammed (Trinidad & Tobago)
- Craig Emmanuel (Windward Islands)
Their presence, insights, and contributions not only enriched the workshop but also reaffirmed the importance of territorial expertise in shaping the next generation of West Indies cricketers.
 convened a high-level Talent Identification Workshop in Trinidad and Tobago from May 8–10.){kind=link}