Cricket West Indies Academy (CWI Academy) captain, Nyeem Young, expressed his admiration for his team’s remarkable performance as they secured a comprehensive 2-0 series victory over Emerging Ireland.
The series concluded with an emphatic 432-run win in the second match, which was completed in just three days at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. The CWI Academy had previously clinched the first match by an innings and 134 runs.
Young shared his satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “I’m very happy, as a captain, to win this series convincingly. I think the boys have performed excellently throughout the series, and there were some excellent individual performances.”
Outstanding batting displays from CWI Academy players
The series witnessed outstanding batting displays from CWI Academy players, with three centuries achieved: Joshua Bishop, batting at number eight, scored an unbeaten 102 runs in the first match, while Kevlon Anderson and Kevin Wickham contributed with scores of 125 and 105 not out, respectively, in the second match.
Although none of the CWI Academy bowlers managed to secure a five-wicket haul in an innings, teenage pacer Isai Thorne delivered a standout performance, finishing with figures of four for eight in the second innings of the first match.
Young emphasized that the series success was a result of a collective team effort, building on the squad’s performance in previous competitions like the Headley-Weekes Tri-Series earlier in the year and the West Indies Super50 Cup. He noted, “We played some four-day games earlier in the year—the Headley-Weekes games—and we had some KPIs (key performance indicators) for those games in terms of how we really wanted to go about our game, what was necessary for us when we got ourselves into position, and how to win games.”
Significant improvement
The CWI Academy, primarily composed of players from the CWI high-performance program, some with first-class experience, and others who have graduated from the Under-19 level with distinction, showcased significant improvement. Several players have also made their way into the senior West Indies team, highlighting the bright prospects within the squad.
The series served as a valuable opportunity for both sides to gain high-quality playing time and test their skills against each other. In addition to their four-day series victory, the CWI Academy had previously won the one-day series against Emerging Ireland, securing a 2-1 win. Young expressed optimism about the future, stating that “the boys are really doing well for themselves, and once they continue along this path, there will be a lot of guys moving into the senior team at some point.”
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