Vanuatu have announced their squad ahead of the tournament in Jersey. They will travel to London and play three matches against Denmark from the 10-12 May, followed by the MCC on the 16th before facing Oman on the 17th in Jersey.

There are three changes to the squad that played in WCL Division 6 in 2015 with experienced wicket keeper Trevor Langa taking an extended break from international cricket. Vanuatu have included two uncapped wicket keepers as cover for Langa in former Under 19 players, Clement Tommy and Jamal Vira. It seems that both players will be trialed for the wicket keeping role prior to the tournament with five warm up games giving them the chance to stamp their claim on the gloves.

Exciting young spinner, Christion Mete, has been selected for his first tour as well but will be hard pressed to find a place in the team with established spinners in captain Andrew Mansale, Simpson Obed and Jelany Chilia in the sqaud. Wolford Kalworai is also a handy spinner that can be called upon if needed. Christion as the only left armer amongst that group may be the X factor that Vanuatu need if conditions in Jersey suit his craft.

National Coach Shane Deitz was positive ahead of the announcement, “We have a great blend of some very experienced players in our senior group, a few guys on their 2nd and 3rd tours who now need to step up and make a name for themselves and a few young guys who I know will handle the step up in class well. The strength of the side reflects the quality of players who missed out on the final selection, who were very unlucky to miss out, but it shows how far we have come and the standard of depth we have in our squad.”

Those players missing out include fast bowler, Kenny Tari, who in recent years has been dogged with injuries limiting his opportunities to play and train. The biggest surprise omission is that of fast bowler, Niko Unavalu, who has been in every World Cricket League campaign since 2012. Unavalu had been working hard to remodel his action after being reported by umpires for a suspect action last year.

The squad on paper looks to be well balanced with a plethora of spinners and batsmen and four quality fast bowlers. Providing the squad stay injury free and the new wicket keeper adjusts to this level of cricket well then this Vanuatu side could be very competitive.

Deitz is wary of the strong competition but is optomistic, saying “the competition will be strong particularly Oman and Jersey who have just come down a division but we are a dangerous side with a lot of skill and athleticism. We have a very close squad and tremendous team spirit and will be playing with pride and represent the country the best we can.”