Seales, Holder, Louis in WI team for England
FAST BOWLER Jayden Seales and all-rounder Jason Holder have been recalled to the West Indies Test team, while Mikyle Louis will be making his first international tour as the West Indies selection panel, comprising chairman Desmond Haynes and coach Andre Coley, announced, on Tuesday, a 15-man team to tour England in July.
However, opening batsman Tagenarine Chanderpaul has paid the price for an inconsistent run of form, both at the Test and First-Class level, and has been left out of the touring squad.
From the team that toured Australia earlier this year, for a two-Test series, Seales has replaced pace bowler Akeem Jordan, Holder has come in for fellow all-rounder Justin Greaves while Chanderpaul makes way for Louis.
The 22-year-old Seales, who last played a Test match during the 2002 tour of Australia, missed most of the 2023 season due to a knee injury, and also sustained a shoulder injury during the A team tour of South Africa in December.
He is currently representing Sussex in the English County Championship, and has claimed 24 wickets in six matches.
Holder, the former Test captain, missed this year’s tour of Australia as he prioritised franchise T20 cricket, as he staked his claim for selection on the WI team for the ICC T20 World Cup. As fate may have it, he sustained an injury (unconfirmed reports state it’s a shoulder problem) during his recent county stint with Worcestershire, which forced him to miss the ongoing World Cup.
Haynes, in a media release on May 26, commented, “Jason is an experienced player in our set-up. His absence will undoubtedly be felt both on and off the field. We look forward to having a fully fit Jason with us again soon.”
The context of the media release clearly indicated that priority would have been given to having Holder ready for the forthcoming England tour.
Louis’ selection was almost a guarantee, as the Leeward Islands Hurricanes’ opening batsman, in his debut First-Class season, compiled a tournament-leading 682 runs at 48.71 with three centuries and two half-centuries.
He will be vying with fellow uncapped opener Zachary McCaskie to partner Kraigg Brathwaite at the top of the order.
Chanderpaul, like Brathwaite, is a notorious back-foot batsman, and his place was under threat after scoring only 31 runs in the two-Test series against Australia earlier this year. He was hardly convincing with the bat for the Guyana Harpy Eagles in the Regional Four-Day Championships, with a tally of 323 runs at an average of 29.36.
WI Under-19 fast bowler Isai Thorne, a member of the victorious Harpy Eagles squad, has been rewarded for a consistent 2024 regional season (with a haul of 19 wickets) with a trip to England, albeit as a development player.
The unrelated pair of fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph (vice-captain) and Shamar Joseph, as well as left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, are involved with the WI T20 World Cup squad. Depending on how far the WI go at the World Cup, the trio will have to join the Test team in England (the Test team are expected to arrive in England on June 23 for a training camp, before a three-day warm-up match against a County Select XI at Beckenham (July 3-5).
The West Indies will play three Test matches in England – at Lord’s in London (July 10-14), Trent Bridge in Nottingham (July 18-22) and Edgbaston in Birmingham (July 26-30).
According to Haynes, “The squad has been shaped with both experience and emerging talent, ensuring a strong balance as we face the challenge of playing in English conditions. Over the past year, our red-ball programme has continued to develop. Following our victory in the last Test in Australia in January, it is evident that we are seeing the fruits of that investment.”
He continued, “Each player selected has earned their place through consistent performances and hard work. We are confident that this blend of seasoned players and emerging faces will perform admirably against England.”
West Indies team to tour England – Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Alzarri Joseph (vice-captain), Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair.
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