Daily Times

BARBADOS: Left-hand batter Kirk McKenzie has earned a maiden call-up in the 13-man West Indies squad that will face India in the first Test from July 12 in Dominica, while Rahkeem Cornwall and Jomel Warrican have been recalled as the spin options. Uncapped batter Alick Athanaze was retained in the side after he traveled to South Africa for West Indies’ last Test series but didn’t get a game. With Gudakesh Motie undergoing rehabilitation for his lower-back injury, an “opportunity” opened up for the two spinners, according to CWI lead selector Desmond Haynes. Kyle Mayers and fast bowler Jayden Seales were recovering from their niggles but were not considered to risk any further injuries. The selectors also named wicketkeeper-batter Tevin Imlach and right-arm quick Akeem Jordan as the two traveling reserves for the first Test.

Shannon Gabriel, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach and Jason Holder will form the pace attack with Raymon Reifer as the all-round option. “We had Jayden Seales here in the camp and he has made good progress during his rehab from surgery. However, we felt he is not yet quite ready to return, and we don’t want to risk him at this stage,” Haynes said. “Kyle Mayers was also considered but he has some niggles, and the precaution is not to have him in the rigors of a five-day match at this stage. We are without Motie, who is doing his rehabilitation, and this has created an opportunity for Warrican and Cornwall in the spin-bowling department. They have both played at Test match level before and are capable of doing the job. We were very impressed with the approach to batsmanship of McKenzie and Athanaze on the recent ‘A’ Team tour of Bangladesh. These are two young players who got good scores and played with great maturity, and we believe they deserve an opportunity.”

McKenzie, 22, and Athanaze, 24, hit two half-centuries each in Bangladesh with the A team in May. McKenzie scored 91 and 86 in Sylhet after the 221 he scored in the Headley Weekes Tri-Series competition in April. Athanaze most recently struck the joint-fastest fifty on ODI debut, against UAE in Sharjah and also earned a CPL contract recently, with Barbados Royals. McKenzie has played just nine first-class matches to average 39.40 after scoring 591 runs with a century and four half-centuries. He made his first-class debut last year for Jamaica. Both Cornwall and Warrican last played a Test in Sri Lanka at the end of 2021. Warrican toured Zimbabwe earlier this year but didn’t play and also missed the subsequent tour of South Africa.

Cornwall, who made his Test debut against India in 2019, returned on the back of strong recent form in first-class cricket. He was the top wicket-taker in the last first-class season with 35 scalps in just five outings — including four five-wicket hauls — while also scoring two half-centuries. This series will be the first for both West Indies and India in the new cycle (2023-25) of the World Test Championship. West Indies finished eighth out of nine teams in the previous iteration, winning only four of their 13 games in that cycle. The first Test is scheduled for July 12 to 16 followed by the second in Port of Spain from July 20. The two teams will then play three ODIs and five T20Is.

West Indies squad for first India Test: Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-capt), Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kirk McKenzie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican.

Traveling reserves: Tevin Imlach, Akeem Jordan.