AIRPORT—St. Maarten's young cricket star, Nathan Edward, flew out yesterday en route to South Africa for the International Cricket Council (ICC) U19 World Cup, which begins on January 19.
Edward is now the first player from St. Maarten to play in back-to-back U19 World Cup. This is a rare feat achieved by only a few players worldwide. He played in the 2022 edition, which was hosted right here in the West Indies.
The West Indies won the U19 World Cup in 2016 when local boy Keacy Carty played a match-winning innings to guide the team to the championship trophy. Since then, West Indies has struggled to reach the semi-final stage.
However, 18-year-old Edward told The Daily Herald that this is the year West Indies could win the championship trophy again. "I feel good about this group of players for this year. We have a talented group. We have good chemistry in the team. We live like a family, even the staff members. Every member of the team wants to do well for the West Indies. I believe we have the skill and experience to win another trophy for the Caribbean people," said Edward before he left St. Maarten.
The West Indies team members comprise most islands in the Caribbean and Guyana.
Edward is a talented all-rounder in the team who bowls left-arm pace and is a competent middle-order batsman.
The 15th edition of the celebrated event will see 16 teams in 41 matches across 24 days of competition, with five host venues staging the action.
Each team will play two warm-up fixtures before the main event commences on January 19, and the opening round offers plenty of drama and excitement as a host of rivals meet to start their World Cup campaigns.
The West Indies U19 team is scheduled to play the host in the premiere match on the opening day.
