West Indies announce squad for first Test against India

After failing to qualify for the upcoming ODI World Cup, West Indies are under a lot of pressure at the moment. Next up, the team will take on India in the two-match Test series, followed by a three-match ODI and five-match T20I series. Ahead of that, Cricket West Indies has announced a 13-member squad and two reserve players for the first Test, which is slated to begin at Windsor Park in Dominica from 12 to 16 July.

Notably, left-handed batter Kirk McKenzie has earned his maiden call-up in the West Indies squad, while fellow left-hander Alick Athanaze is the other uncapped player in the squad. Allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall too has found a spot for himself after not being part of the squad since November 2021. On the other hand, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie is still unavailable for selection as the 28-year-old is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

“We were very impressed with the approach to batsmanship of McKenzie and Athanaze on the recent ‘A’ Team tour of Bangladesh. These are two young players who got good scores and played with great maturity, and we believe they deserve an opportunity. We are without Motie, who is doing his rehabilitation, and this has created an opportunity for Warrican and Cornwall in the spin bowling department. They have both played at Test match level before and are capable of doing the job,” chief selector Desmond Haynes said.

“We had Jayden Seales here in the camp and he has made good progress during his rehab from surgery. However, we felt he is not yet quite ready to return, and we don’t want to risk him at this stage. Kyle Mayers was also considered but he has some niggles, and the precaution is not to have him in the rigors of a five-day match at this stage,” he added.

Notably, in the last cycle of the World Test Championship, West Indies defeated England 1-0 in the three-match series and they would hope to repeat the same against India as the team would be desperate to do well after their recent failure in the ODI World Cup qualifiers.

West Indies Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood, Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kirk McKenzie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican