Injury rules Motie out of India Tests; Imlach named as travelling reserve
- Chanderpaul retains spot
On Friday, the Cricket West Indies Senior Men’s Selection Panel announced the squad for the first match of the two-Test series against India.
The Panel named 13 squad members and two traveling reserve players for the match, which will be played at Windsor Park in Dominica from 12 to 16 July.
There is a first-time call-up for left-handed batter Kirk McKenzie, while fellow left-hander Alick Athanaze is the other uncapped player in the squad.
There are recalls for allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who played his last Test in November 2021, and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican who was in the squad which toured Zimbabwe but missed the last tour of South Africa in February.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie is unavailable for selection as he is undergoing rehabilitation from injury.
“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,” said Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes.
“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.”
Haynes added: “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.
West Indies squad will travel to Dominica on Sunday following their ongoing pre-series camp at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua. They will have training sessions on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning in the build-up to the match.
The first match bowls off on Wednesday at 10am (9am Jamaica/7:30pm India). The second Test on 20-24 July at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad will be historic – marking the 100th Test match between West Indies and India.
FULL SQUAD: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain), Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kirk McKenzie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican
Traveling Reserves: Tevin Imlach Akeem Jordan.
