DUBAI: West Indies Twenty20 skipper Carlos Brathwaite, who would be leading his side against Pakistan in the UAE series, has urged the youngsters to express themselves, and play their natural game, as their performance could eventually decide their future in the national team.

The West Indies are scheduled to play a three-match T20 rubber against Sarfraz Ahmed-led Pakistan, starting on Sept 23 in Dubai.

West Indies youngsters like Rovmna Powell and Nicholas Pooran have had impressive stint in the Caribbean Premier League 2016.

Powell scored 228 runs in the 13 matches he played for Jamaica Tallawahs, while Pooran totalled 217 in 10 matches at an average of 27.12 and a strike rate of 197.27, for the Barbados Tridents, along with eight stumpings as well.

“Go there, express yourselves, continue to be exciting and eventually win games for the West Indies. It’s a big task to represent the West Indies, and away from home is probably a little easier because you don’t have family in the stands with that extra pressure,” Brathwaite said.

“You’re just surrounded by your team-mates and it’s a good team to be in at the moment, so it’s just about going there and continuing to do the things that they did to get themselves here and do it for longer periods – it’s a higher stage, more pressure, but I’m sure they can continue with it and do well,” he added.

“The selectors were very big in ensuring that some young players are blooded and rubbed shoulders with some of the best T20 players in the world so we can continue our legacy of being dominant in this format, and those were two of the guys who fit the bill at this point in time,” said the skipper.

The West Indies squad, who were in Dubai earlier this year for the preparatory camp, prior to their ICC World T20 win, have a familiar knowledge with the conditions here, as they won a tournament here as well, while Brathwaite was quick to add, that despite the familiar conditions in the UAE, the weather would play an important factor, as it is usually harsh at this time of the year.

“It wasn’t as hot early in the year, but, apparently, we’re smack dab in the middle of their summer, so it can get very, very hot. It’s for the players to prepare well, manage themselves well off the field, rehydration-wise, get enough rest,” the captain said.

“And each of us is a professional and we know what our body needs to be an optimal thing to perform, so it’s just about us doing things we do off the field, planning well, preparing well, and evidently performing well when the games come,” said Brathwaite.

Published in Dawn September 17th, 2016