West Indies announce Test squad for England series
West Indies have included uncapped duo of Kyle Hope and Raymon Reifer in the 15-man squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against England. Windies captain will also have the experience of Kemar Roach to fall back on in England after the fast bowler was included in the squad, despite his last Test appearance coming in January 2016.
Fast bowling all-rounder, Reifer was rewarded for his impressive performances for Guyana, who won the Professional Cricket League. He finished with 36 wickets and just under 450 runs in the competition and that has earned him a Test call-up.
Roach's impressive performance in the domestic circuit, where he was one of Barbados' leading performers with 23 wickets at an average of just 16 in the first-class competition meant that he returned to the squad.
The ongoing saga with Darren Bravo, who issued an apology, took another twist as the southpaw wasn't considered for selection as the squad was selected before Bravo had sent the apology letter.
The only player from the previous Windies Test squad to miss out, was Vishaul Singh, whose failure to get runs in the three Tests at home against Pakistan meant that he was dropped from the squad that will travel to England.
Speaking about the decision to bring in the uncapped duo of Reifer and Kyle Hope, the chairman of CWI selection panel, Courtney Browne said: "[In Reifer and Kyle Hope] we have two players who will be new to Tests, but they have experience at first-class level. Kyle will be our third option as opener and he can also be a possible No. 3.
"Raymon adds variety to our attack with his left-arm swing bowling and has proven to be very useful with the bat in the lower order. He, therefore, adds value to our team and could be very useful in English conditions".
He also hailed the return of fast bowler Roach, who is back after nearly 18 months out of the Test side.
"Kemar's return is welcomed as he was one of the best fast bowlers in Tests in the recent past for us. We have seen him during the last [first-class] season show signs of his return to form. He may not be bowling as quickly as before, but still possesses that skill we all knew he had, plus his experience adds greater depth to the attack."
The series against England, who are currently playing against South Africa in another Test series, will begin at Edgbaston on August 17, which will host the maiden Day-Night Test in the country. The remaining two Tests will be played at Leeds and Lord's.
West Indies squad: Jason Holder (C), Kraigg Braithwaite, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich (WK), Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Kyle Hope, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kieran Powell, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach.