Rising Saint Lucia cricket star Selena Ross has been selected to the West Indies team for the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, beginning next month in Malaysia.
The 17-year-old left-arm fast bowler will be making her second appearance in West Indies colours, after playing against the USA Under-19s in July.
In that five-match series, played in Trinidad Tobago, Ross led all West Indies bowlers with five wickets, including the best match analysis of the series, 3-12. She was also a member of the Saint Lucia team that won the Windward Islands Championship earlier this year, leading to her senior Windward Islands debut in March.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) named the 15-member squad on Monday. Ross, a student at Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, and a member of the Saint Lucia High Performance Centre, once again joins the region’s rising stars, this time to face the world’s top emerging players on the global stage.
CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe commented: “We are proud to announce our Under-19 Women’s squad for the ICC World Cup 2025, which represents the future of West Indies cricket. Captain Samara Ramnath and vice-captain Asabi Callender will lead a talented group of young players who have shown tremendous potential throughout our development programmes, and we believe this squad exemplifies the emerging strength of women’s cricket in the Caribbean.”
Bascombe added that the inclusion of players from across the region demonstrates CWI’s commitment to nurturing talent from all territories.
“We are confident they can compete at the highest level while gaining valuable international experience. The future of West Indies women’s cricket looks bright with these promising young athletes,” he said.
Head coach Robert Samuels expressed pride in their preparation: “Our young players have shown tremendous dedication and improvement during their preparation. We are confident that they will represent the West Indies with pride and demonstrate the bright future of women’s cricket in our region.”
Following the group phase of the tournament which runs from January 19 to 23, the top three teams from each group will advance to the Super 6 phase – two groups of six – which will take place from January 25 to 29.
The West Indies side has been preparing rigorously through specialised training camps at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua and Barbuda, and various tours during the year to ensure their readiness for this prestigious competition.
Three teams from Group A and Group D will combine to form one Super 6 group and the top three teams of Group B and Group C will form the other group.
The tournament will feature 16 teams from across the globe, with matches scheduled from January 18 to February 2 across various venues in Malaysia. The 16 teams have been split into four groups of four and West Indies have been drawn in Group A alongside India, Sri Lanka and the hosts, Malaysia.
The team departs for Malaysia on January 1 for a pre-tournament camp from January 5-10. Their tournament preparation continues with two warm-up games – on January 13 against Nepal and January 15 against New Zealand, before their opening group stage game on January 19.
