St John’s [Antigua], March 13 (ANI): Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel on Friday announced the squad for the first of the two-match Test series at home against Sri Lanka.
The Test squad features several players who recently participated in the 2-0 victorious Test series in Bangladesh. Two senior players who did not play in the Bangladesh series, all-rounder Jason Holder and left-handed batsman Darren Bravo, have returned to the Test squad which will be led by Kraigg Brathwaite.
The first Test will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium from March 21-25. The selection panel also named the squad for the CWI President’s XI to face Sri Lanka in a two-day warm-up match at Coolidge Cricket Ground on March 17-18.
Speaking on the squad, Lead Selector Roger Harper in an official release said: “It is good to be able to put together a Test squad with a number of players coming off very good performances in their last series in Bangladesh. Very encouraging. It is a fantastic opportunity to build on the good work that was done in Bangladesh. It is very important to continue the process of working hard, playing with great passion, playing with determination, and a great desire to succeed. Doing that consistently will bring us the right results.”
“A number of players seized the opportunity that the tour of Bangladesh presented and booked a place for themselves in the Test team for this series. This now means that there is keen competition for places which should drive better individual performances and that of the team. I also think that these players are looking forward to displaying their skills on home soil,” he added.
On Thursday, Cricket West Indies had announced the appointment of Kraigg Brathwaite as Windies Test skipper, and Jason Holder was relieved of his duties.
Windies squad for 1st Test: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, John Campbell, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican. (ANI)