CaribWorldNews, LONDON, England, Tues. Jan. 12, 2010: The West Indies cricket squad will face stiff opposition from Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as new comer Papua New Guinea in the upcoming ICC U19 Cricket World Cup matches.

The U19 CWC is slated to run from January 15 to 30 in New Zealand and the three sides will clash in Group D of the tourney. The West Indies will take on Pakistan in their first match on Jan. 15th at  the Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North. The side will then face Bangladesh on the 17th and Papua New Guinea on the 19th.

The West Indies has been playing in the domestic Presidents Cup alongside regional teams where it struggled to compete with these men`s teams, failing to win a match and with only one of their batsmen passing 50. However, match practice against men will surely put the West Indies in good stead to face the best players in their age group, although the side will have to rely on individual brilliance to get them through.

Kraigg Braithwaite of Barbados is the shining light with the bat, scoring 73 on first-class debut at the age of 16. He was called into the West Indies Test squad last year against Bangladesh and isn`t too far away from making his full international debut. He holds a national contract and will be a vital part of this team`s 2010 U19 CWC campaign.

West Indies will look for their skipper, Andre Creary, to lead from the front with middle-order runs and some tidy off-spin. Creary made his first-class debut for West Indies A against the touring Bangladesh team mid-way through last year and his experience will be vital to his inexperienced side.

Full West Indies squad: Andre Creary (captain), Jermaine Blackwood, Nelson Bolan, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Yannic Cariah, Akeem Dewar, Shane Dowrich, Nicholson Gordon, Trevon Griffiths, Jason Holder, Keon Joseph, Evin Lewis, Yannick Ottley and Jomel Warrican.