Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced a 15-man squad to tour Australia for two Test matches next month, with as many as seven uncapped players being selected.
The team will be led by captain Kraigg Brathwaite, with fast-bowler Alzarri Joseph upgraded to the position of vice-captain. Former vice-captain Jermaine Blackwood was not included in the squad, and no reasons were given for his omission in the CWI release which was issued on Wednesday. Blackwood, who has played 56 Tests for the WI, was not among the 14 players issued central contracts by CWI on December 10.
The uncapped players selected for the Australian tour are: Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Akeem Jordan, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie and Guyanese off-spinner Kevin Sinclair. All of the aforementioned players – bar the 29-year-old Greaves – were included in the West Indies "A" team squad which toured South Africa for an unofficial three-match "Test" series from November 21 to December 8.
Lead selector Desmond Haynes said, "The squad has been affected by the unavailability of some key players. However, we have had a very strong red-ball programme being run over the past year, which has unearthed significant talent throughout the region.
"The selected players have passed each test given to them and must now be given the opportunity to showcase their skills in the Test arena. Australia away is always a challenge, but we are confident in our team."
At a Zoom conference, Haynes revealed that TT batsman Darren Bravo declined selection for the tour. Earlier this month, Bravo decided to take a break from the game after being snubbed for the ODI series vs England. Bravo has been one of the top performers in the regional 50-over and four-day formats for the past few years.
TT seamer Jayden Seales is unavailable owing to a shoulder injury which he picked up on the "A" team tour. Kyle Mayers and former West Indies captain Jason Holder were deemed "unavailable as they have expressed a preference to explore T20 franchise opportunities in January."
Holder and Mayers, both of whom turned down central contracts from the CWI, are in the Windies squad which is currently locked in a T20 battle in the Caribbean with England.
Late last year, WI played a two-match Test series away to Australia – losing the first Test by 164 runs and losing the second Test by a whopping 419-run margin. In the second Test, the Windies were bundled out for a paltry score of 77 in their second innings at the Adelaide Oval – the venue for the first Test next month.
In their last Test series which came against India in July this year, WI went down 1-0. In the first Test in Dominica, WI were bowled out for scores of 150 and 130 before crashing to an innings defeat. The teams played to a draw in the rain-affected second Test at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.
Eight players from the Oval Test match have retained their spots in the squad, with Blackwood, Holder, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jomel Warrican and TT seamer Shannon Gabriel being omitted. Brathwaite, Joseph, wicket-ke
