12 on list for cricket school

The Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) has nominated 12 hopefuls to be part of the first class at the Shell Cricket Academy.

The institution, based at St. George's University in Grenada, will start classes on May 15 and the programme will run for three months in the first instance.

The academy, expected to be headed by Dr. Rudi Webster, will aim to fine-tune players' technique, and other skills on and off the field.

The West Indies Cricket Board has indicated that 24 players between the ages of 18 and 23 will be chosen from those nominated by the six territories. A senior BCA official said the players would be selected on talent and not a ratio of four per territory.

Heading the list of Barbadians is allrounder Ryan Hinds, who took 15 wickets for 102 runs against Leeward Islands in the Busta Cup Cricket competition - the best bowling by a Barbadian and the third-best in regional history.

Five others with first-class experience were nominated: off-spinner Ryan Austin, who made his debut in the Busta Cup; left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn and batsman Kurt Wilkinson, who were members of the West Indies B team; fast-bowling allrounder Calitos Lopez, who made his debut against South Africa A last year, and keeper Corey Glasgow, who played against Guyana in the first match of the Busta Cup. These are the most likely candidates to be selected.

The others nominated are fast bowlers Ryan Best and Marlon Franklyn; Barbados Under-19 skipper Jason Parris, Barbados Cricket League batsman Randy Thomas, left-arm spinner Anderson Sealy and Patrick Browne, the highly-touted St. Catherine keeper.