HUGE BLOW: West Indies’ top batter has been ruled out of the upcoming test match against South Africa.
Kemar Roach is poised to return to the West Indies Test squad for the home series against South Africa. Roach missed the West Indies’ just completed tour of England due to a knee injury acquired during the County Championship.
Fellow fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has been rested, while wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva has taken over as vice-captain. “We have decided to rest our vice-captain Alzarri Joseph for this series,” head coach Andre Coley said in a CWI press release. “Alzarri has had a considerable workload recently, and this break will allow him to recuperate and return to peak performance.”
In an interview, Coles laid out a long-term outlook for Alzarri’s workload management, saying, “As far as Alzarri is concerned, it always helps to have a period of time away from the game to work on your individual skills, because you might get caught up in moving from one tournament to the next and lose some of your skills.
“So it’s incorporating the appropriate amount of rest time in which he does nothing, as well as brief periods in which he is not competing.” That way, he will have better control over his bowling.
Kevin Sinclair, an offspin bowling allrounder, is not in the squad because he is still recovering from a fractured left forearm suffered during the England trip after being hit by a delivery from Mark Wood in Nottingham.
Uncapped offspinner Bryan Charles, pace-bowling allrounder Justin Greaves, and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, who were not on the England trip, have made the 15-man team.
Both Jeremiah Louis, who withdrew from the fourth Test in England owing to a hamstring injury, and his substitute, Akeem Jordan, have been left out.
Others who have had to make room include Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, and Akeem Jordan. McKenzie played all three Tests in England, scoring only 33 runs in six innings. McCaskie took part in the West Indies’ tours of Australia and England but is yet to make his Test debut.
“The selection process for this squad was led by our Head Coach, Andre Coley,” said Miles Bascombe, CWI’s cricket director, “pending the implementation of our new selection process, which will be rolled out in the coming days and articulated publicly shortly.”
The West Indies are now at the bottom of the World Test Championship table, having won only one of their last seven games, following a 3-0 defeat in England. The two Tests against South Africa will take place at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, from August 7 to 11, and Providence, Guyana, from August 15 to 19.
West Indies squad
Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Joshua Da Silva (vice-capt), Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Bryan Charles, Justin Greaves, Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican.
