NEWS
Follow UsCricket West Indies have announced their squad for the upcoming three-match Test series starting July 10 at Lord’s, and there’s a surprise at the top of the order.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul lost his spot as an opener after scoring just 31 runs in four innings in Australia.
He is replaced by Mikyle Louis, the 23-year-old opener from St. Kitts, who has also played for the West Indies at the under-19 level. He had topped the charts of West Indies’ first-class competition, scoring 682 runs at an average of 48.71 for Leeward Island Hurricanes. If he makes his Test debut for the Windies, he’ll be the first player from St. Kitts to do so.
Meanwhile, Holder, who had opted out of the tour to Australia to play the ILT20, earned his call back after good performances with the red ball for Barbados and Worcestershire this season. Seales, who missed the Australia series due to injury, is also back after being the joint-highest wicket-taker in Division Two of the County Championship for Sussex.
West Indies' chief selector, Desmond Haynes, showed ample faith in the selection process and the quality of the squad.
“The squad has been shaped with experience and emerging talent, ensuring a strong balance as we face the challenge of playing in English conditions,” he said.
“Over the past year, our red-ball program has continued to develop. Following our victory in the last Test in Australia in January, it is evident that we are seeing the fruits of that investment. Each player selected has earned their place through consistent performances and hard work. We are confident that this blend of seasoned players and emerging faces will perform admirably against England.”
West Indies hold the Richard Botham Trophy after defeating England 1-0 in the home Test series in March 2022 but have not won a Test series in England since 1988.
Squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph (vice-capt), Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair
Note: Isai Thorne, a 19-year-old pacer, will travel with the squad as a development player. Following impressive performances in this debut First-class season, he took 31 wickets at an average of 16.29 in his first eight matches.
