The team will prepare there before leaving for South Africa to participate in the 2024 ICC Men's Under-19 World Cricket Championship from 19 January to 11 February 2024.

Edward, who is also Saint Lucia's Under-19 captain, has been praised by the Saint Lucia National Cricket Association (SLNCA) for his hard work as he aims to establish himself on the international stage.

“We wish him the best on this journey and encourage him to keep flying our flag high. We know that he will give a good account of himself in South Africa, and we wish him and the entire West Indies team the best of luck in South Africa,” said Wayne Auguste, SLNCA President.

Windies Lead Selector Robert Haynes said West Indies made strategic decisions with its selection of players. Members of the squad have played internationally before during the summer months.

“We have named a balanced squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup and we expect them to do very well in this prestigious international event. We had a good tour of Sri Lanka in August and September where the players gained valuable experience. This helped to prepare them for the upcoming assignment. Since that tour, we also had a camp in Trinidad where we played against the USA Under-19 and the Trinidad & Tobago Under-23 teams. They will be match-fit and mentally fully prepared when they journey to South Africa,” Haynes explained.

The Match Schedule for the games is as follows:

Warm-up matches

Sunday, 14 January: vs New Zealand at Braamfischer Oval, Johannesburg

Tuesday, 16 January: vs Nepal at St Stithians, Johannesburg

First round – Group B

Friday, 19 January: vs South Africa at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom

Wednesday, 24 January: vs Scotland at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom

Friday, 26 January: vs England at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom