West Indies announce squad for two-Test series against South Africa; Joshua Da Silva named vice-captain
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, beginning on August 7 in Trinidad. Kemar Roach has returned to the squad after missing the three-Test rubber in England due to an injury, while the three uncapped players included are Tevin Imlach, Bryan Charles, and Keacy Carty.
Born in Guyana, Imlatch has promising first-class numbers, averaging 32.26 in 22 matches after scoring 1,097 runs with three centuries. Off-spinner Charles has bagged 150 scalps in 44 first-class fixtures at 26.56 apiece. Carty, meanwhile, has the opportunity to play Test cricket and has already featured in 22 ODIs thus far. Justin Greaves has also been recalled to the squad, having not been picked for the England tour.
Kepeer-batter Joshua Da Silva, who delivered some outstanding batting performances against England, will serve as Kraigg Brathwaite's deputy for the series. Da Silva, playing Test cricket for the first time on English soil, finished the three-game series with 159 runs at 31.82 with a best of 82.
West Indies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Joshua da Silva (vc), 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.
"We have decided to rest our vice-captain Alzarri Joseph for this series" - West Indies head coach
West Indies head coach Andre Coley addressed the squad selection by claiming that they have selected a blend of experience and youth to exploit the venues. Cooley revealed that Alzarri Joseph has been rested, while Kevin Sinclair remains injured for the time being.
"The squad we have chosen for this series is a balanced mix of experience and youth, strategically selected to maximize our performance in the conditions of Trinidad and Guyana. We have decided to rest our vice-captain Alzarri Joseph for this series. Alzarri has had a considerable workload recently, and this break will allow him to recuperate and return to peak performance. Kevin Sinclair is presently recovering from an injury," Coley said in a statement release.
Joseph had an underwhelming performance in the recent series against England, where he finished with four scalps in three appearances at a dismal average of 45.40.