West Indies squad for the first Test against South Africa announced

West Indies announced their 13 member squad for the first Test against South Africa. The West Indies squad included 19-year old Trinidad and Tobago pacer Jayden Seales. Seales, who had an impressive stint in the Under-19 World Cup in 2020, has played just one first-class match so far and picked just 1 wicket. The  first Test against South Africa, starts on June 10 at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia.

Injured Shannon Gabriel is among four players including Darren Bravo, Jahmar Hamilton and Jomel Warrican who miss out from the provisional squad.

West Indies vs South Africa Test Series Schedule, 2021

1st Test – June 10-14, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia

2nd Test – June 18-22, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia

West Indies squad for the first Test:

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

South Africa Test Squad:

Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma, Sarel Erwee, Quinton de Kock (wk), Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Keegan Petersen, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Prenelan Subrayen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams.

“Jayden Seales is young, very enthusiastic and has a big heart,” Lead selector Roger Harper said. “In the ‘Best v Best’ matches he bowled with pace, got movement and displayed the ability to take wickets. We think he is capable of adding potency to the bowling attack.”

Selectors at Cricket West Indies have also brought back the batting duo of Shai Hope and Kieran Powell into the Test fold.

Since his incredible twin performance in the Leeds Test of 2017 (147 and 118* vs England), Hope has gone 22 Tests without a century. On the tour to England last July, he managed a total of 105 runs in six innings that led to his axing. Hope’s return to the Test side comes on the back of his successful stint in the ODI series against Sri Lanka in March this year, where he top-scored with 258 runs in three games.

Powell’s last Test appearance came further back in 2018 on the tour to Bangladesh. Powell’s century-less spell is far longer, since scoring it twice in a Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2012.

“Kieran Powell we know is a very capable batsman who we expect to add quality and depth to the batting department,” Harper said. “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.”

The two Tests will bring the end of the first world Test championship cycle for both West Indies and South Africa. As it stands, West Indies are sixth with a win percentage of 33.33 while South Africa are just behind at seventh with a win percentage of 30.