Cricket West Indies announces a 13-member squad for the opening Test against South Africa

West Indies and South Africa are all set to resume international cricket with a Test series followed by a T20I series. The two teams will lock horns with each other in two Test fixtures followed by five T20 Internationals, starting from June 10 at the Daren Sammy National Stadium in Gros Islet. Ahead of the first Test match between the two nations, Cricket West Indies announced a 13-member Test squad.

One of the highlights of the squad was the inclusion of top-order batsman Shai Hope and left-hander Kieran Powell. While Hope last featured in a Test match in July 2020 against England, Powell played his last Test in December 2018. The only debutant in the squad is 19-year-old Jayden Seales. 

The chief selector Roger Harper opined on the squad saying that their main motive is to continue the decent form in the purest format of the game and build on the performances of the last two-Test series and keep improving as a Test team. Notably, their last Test series against Sri Lanka ended in a draw while they emerged victorious against Bangladesh by 2-0 in the Test fixtures. 

Shai Hope has forced his way into the squad by performance: Roger Harper

Further, the selector opined on the selection of Jayden, Hope, and Powell. “Jayden Seales is young, very enthusiastic, and has a big heart. In the ‘Best v Best’ matches, he bowled with pace, got movement, and has displayed the ability to take wickets. We think he is capable of adding potency to the bowling attack,” Harper was quoted as saying by Cricket West Indies official website.

“Kieran Powell we know is a very capable batsman who we expect to add quality and depth to the batting department. He put himself in the mix with his performance in the Best v Best match. Shai Hope has performed very well in the red ball matches he has played, following on the back of his highly successful One-Day International series against Sri Lanka, so he has forced his way into the squad by performance.”

West Indies 13-member squad for 1st Test

Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood (VC), Nkrumah Bonner, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales