St. John's: The West Indies have revealed their 16-man team that will fight for the prized Sir Frank Worrell Trophy in the forthcoming three home Tests against Australia, set to begin on June 25 at Kensington Oval in Barbados.
The series will be important for both teams, since the three Tests will kick off their World Test Championship 2025-2027 cycle. West Indies' squad is showing signs of a new beginning, with multiple adjustments made to the side that last appeared in the drawn series against Pakistan earlier this year.
John Campbell has returned to the team for the first time since 2022, providing additional alternatives at the top of the lineup. He received his callup after a productive home season that saw him score three centuries in three years.
Along with Campbell, Keacy Carty has been called to the Test team following his trip to Pakistan. The decision is based on his impressive batting performance in all formats. Last month, the 28-year-old struck two centuries in ODIs against Ireland and topped the Men in Maroon's run-scorers list for the three 50-over matches in England.
West Indies whiteball captain Shai Hope has returned to redball cricket for the first time since 2021. Brandon King, his ODI deputy, received his first call-up, as did Kevlon Anderson.
According to CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe, the selections for the challenge against the Baggy Greens were made in accordance with the team's desire to develop an execution-driven identity in Test cricket. He stated that consistency in batting performance and a diverse bowling attack were critical factors in the overall evaluation.
The Test Championship Cycle's beginning is crucial in gaining good momentum as we attempt to climb the standings. Starting with a strong performance against a team like Australia would be great in our effort to restore the West Indies to the top of Test Cricket, Bascombe stated in a statement distributed by CWI.
It was critical that we attempted to assemble a team that was well-equipped in both the batting and bowling divisions to manage the ebbs and flows of this format of the game, while also having the capacity to apply pressure at important times through disciplined, intentional play, he said.
Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, and Shamar Joseph will lead the home team's fast-bowling onslaught. Furthermore, Johann Layne, a 21-year-old West Indies Academy graduate who has taken 63 first-class wickets in 17 games, and Anderson Phillip, who recently impressed with a 5-wicket haul for West Indies A against South Africa A, have been called up to bolster the squad.
Skipper Roston Chase and his deputy Jomel Warrican will share spin duties. Despite being considered, experienced pacer Kemar Roach has been left out and has been notified accordingly. Apart from Roach, Gudakesh Motie, Kavem Hodge, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva, Amir Jangoo, and Kevin Sinclair have been removed from the series.
While pleading for patience from the supporters for the players, head coach Darren Sammy stated that they may expect an interesting brand of play throughout the series.
I am really excited about this series since we want to start off strong and turn our home court into a fortress during this cycle, with our passionate and proud supporters behind us. The matches will be tough, but I have faith in this group of players, who are excited to wear the maroon and make our supporters happy, he added.
West Indies Test Squad for the series against Australia: Roston Chase (Captain), Jomel Warrican (Vice Captain), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, and Jayden Seales.
