ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — Out-of-form West Indies batters Keacy Carty and Alick Athanaze will skipper West Indies ‘A’ in their upcoming one-day and Twenty20 (T20) series, respectively, against England ‘A’ beginning next month.

The 29-year-old Carty was on Sunday named by Cricket West Indies (CWI) to lead the 15-member 50-over squad in the five-match series, while Athanaze, 27, will lead the 13-member T20 team in their three-match series.

The T20 series will begin on November 1 and end on November 3, with the ODI series running from November 7 to 16.

In a release, CWI said the One-Day squad had been picked with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, which begins in February, as the immediate priority, and the World Cup in October 2027 beyond it.

After a superb start to his ODI career, Carty has struggled to find form in recent matches.

He scored just 13 and nine in the two opening ODIs against India before being dropped for the final match in the recently concluded tour of the Asian subcontinent.

In 55 ODIs for the West Indies he averages 39.91 with four hundreds and six half-centuries.

Meanwhile, the out-of-favour Athanaze last represented the West Indies in January during their T20I series against Afghanistan.

The left-handed batter, who has played 17 Tests and ODIs and 15 T20Is, last featured for the Men in Maroon in either format in 2025.

Hard-hitting opener Zachary Carter has been named in the T20 squad, which also includes fellow Barbadians Zishan Motara and pacer Jahkeem Pollard.

Kamil Pooran — who made his senior debut on the tour of India — along with wrist spinner Vitel Lawes, are also in the team.

Interestingly, virtual unknown Stewart Thompson has also been included in the squad.

Alick Athanaze (Photo: AFP)

Thompson, a young Jamaican fast bowler who recently moved from Mico University to Kingston Cricket Club, was identified as a prospect by CWI’s bowling consultant Ottis Gibson during the first bowling camp held earlier this year.

The ODI squad sees the return of pacer Oshane Thomas, with Rivaldo Clarke and exciting top-order batter Shaqkere Parris also included.

Clarke captained a West Indies Academy team to a 2–1 win over the Sri Lanka Emerging XI in their three-match 50-over series in June.

Mikyle Louis, who has played 10 Tests, joins the group throughout the series as a development attachment, working on his white-ball game within the high-performance environment.

Gibson will coach the side, supported by Batting Coach Rohan Nurse and Spin Bowling Coach Nikita Miller.

CWI’s Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe said the upcoming series was the perfect opportunity for players to make their mark.

“The Qualifier in February is the most important assignment of our 50-over year, and we are treating it that way. Our aim is to win it and take that form to the World Cup in October.

“These One-Day matches are a big part of how we choose the players to do that, and the T20 matches start the work for 2028,” Bascombe said.

“Ottis Gibson knows what international cricket demands. We’ve asked him to give every player clarity about their role, to tell us who is closest to stepping up, and what each player needs to work on to give them the best chance when they do.”

SQUADS:

West Indies ‘A’ T20 — Alick Athanaze (captain), Jewel Andrew, Zachary Carter, Shadrack Descarte, Keon Gaston, Karima Gore, Joshua James, Vitel Lawes, Zishan Motara, Jakeem Pollard, Kamil Pooran, Quentin Sampson, Stewart Thompson.

West Indies ‘A’
50-over — Keacy Carty (captain), Kevlon Anderson, Jewel Andrew, Alick Athanaze, Jediah Blades, Rivaldo Clarke, Shadrack Descarte, Jyd Goolie, Vitel Lawes, Kirk McKenzie, Micah McKenzie, Shaqkere Parris, Jakeem Pollard, Shamar Springer, Oshane Thomas.