The West Indies have named three uncapped players in their Test squad that will face Bangladesh at home from June 16, 2022. They include wicketkeeper Devon Thomas, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and pacer Anderson Phillip.
While Thomas and Motie have previously played white-ball cricket for West Indies, Phillip is yet to make his presentation in any format.
Jason Holder is not available for selection against Bangladesh
West Indies will also be without the talents of experienced all-rounder Jason Holder after he asked for a rest.
“All-rounder Jason Holder is not available for selection as CWI has approved his request for a period of rest and recovery. He will therefore miss Bangladesh’s all-format tour of the West Indies.” said a statement from Cricket West Indies (CWI).
In addition, the squad also excludes Kemar Roach, who suffered a physical problem during the County Championship in England and is currently undergoing a fitness test.
“If he is fit, he will be included in the Test squad as the 13th player.” explained CWI.
Giving chances to the guys who perform: Desmond Haynes
Shamarh Brooks and Veerasammy Permaul are those who were not selected from the West Indies squad that recently won against England. Roston Chase and Jomel Warrican, both of whom were ruled out before the England series, are members of the President’s XI who will face Bangladesh in the warm-up match before the England series.
Commenting on the selection, senior selector Desmond Haynes said: “Devon Thomas has been knocking on the door for some time. He has done very well in our franchise cricket system and we see this as a good opportunity to try him out.
You can tell that Raymon Reifer is also in the squad. He is another person who did impressively well in the four-day competition and against England (earlier this year).
Again, we give opportunities to the guys who perform. We believe Gudakesh Motie is one of those guys who can also bowl well and we believe it will be a good opportunity for him to be involved.”
West Indies aim to collect WTC points against Bangladesh
West Indies are currently ranked 6th in the World Test Championship while Bangladesh are ranked 9th.
“We want to get points against Bangladesh for the World Test Championship, which will be very important. “It would be good for us to use our home advantage to win both friendlies and collect these points.” Haynes said
West Indies Test team: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood (vc), Nkrumah Bonner, John Campbell, Joshua Da Silva, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Jayden Seales, Devon Thomas
Reserves: Tagernarine Chanderpaul, Shermon Lewis
Also Read: IND vs SA: “When you don’t get chances, you start doubting yourself – Kuldeep Yadav reveals what went wrong with KKR.”