Kemar Roach

Root will miss the first Test of the series to be at the birth of his second child and the pacer could face only two of the top six in a batting line-up he dominated in the Caribbean last year.  Newcomers Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, and Ollie Pope are set to join the line-up in Southampton along with Joe Denly, who played the second and third Tests of England's Caribbean tour last year.

“It’s different conditions now, we are in England this time around.  I see England has also made some changes to their batting line-up so it’s all about assessing each batsman and following-up their weaknesses and exploiting them,” Roach told members of the media via a Zoom press conference on Sunday.

“Of course, I would love to have the same batting line because it’s what we got used to for the last few series but there are a few changes so it’s all about sticking to the game plan,” he added.

“A Test match without Root, the fantastic stats he has, is going to be a bit of an advantage for us.  He's one that keeps the England batting together, he's done fantastically for them for the last couple of years,” he added.

"Without him, it is a bit of an advantage for us, but also a little bit of a disadvantage because there are some new guys coming in that we obviously have to work out and see what their weaknesses are and try to exploit them. So it goes 50-50, but once we get stuck in and hit our straps and put the balls in the right area I think we stand a very good chance of going out there and performing well."

The 28-year-old Barbadian, who is also the number-one-ranked Test all-rounder in the world, took match figures of seven wickets for 91 runs in the first Test against England in the #RaisetheBat series that concluded on Sunday with the Caribbean men winning the closely fought match by four wickets.

Holder’s 6 for 42 in the first innings against England at the Ageas Stadium in Southampton, helped restrict the home side to 204 on Thursday’s second day and helped set up a famous victory for the West Indies.

The performance that included 1 for 49 in England’s second innings, earned the lanky medium pacer 32 points in the Test rankings taking him to 862 points.

Those points also moved him ahead of New Zealand's Neil Wagner who has 843 ranking points.

Australia’s Pat Cummings leads the rankings with 904 points.

Kemar Roach, who went wicketless in the match is ranked 16^th with 731 points while Man-of-the-Match Shannon Gabriel is ranked 18^th with 726 points. Gabriel took 9 wickets in the match and was a key player in the West Indies victory on Sunday.

Athanaze, the left-handed batter, is the captain of Windward Islands Volcanoes while Jordan, the right-arm seam bowler, plays for Barbados Pride.

Both have demonstrated good form in the first two rounds of the current four-day West Indies Championship.

Athanaze had scores of 41 and 51 against Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in Round 1 and followed up with a career-best 141 against Guyana Harpy Eagles in Round 2. He is a product of the West Indies Under 19s Rising Stars where he was one of the stand-out players at the 2018 ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup.

Jordan had match figures of 5-86 against Guyana and followed up with 7-113 against Jamaica Scorpions to be one of the leading wicket-takers in the West Indies Championship after two rounds of matches.

Athanaze and Jordan replace left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican and batter Nkrumah Bonner who are part of the squad for the just-concluded series in Zimbabwe.

Jayden Seales is unavailable for selection following a knee injury and subsequent surgery, while Anderson Philiip has returned to training but is not yet match-fit.

Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes said: “Athanaze is one of the young players who we have invested in, and he played well in the ‘A Team’ and CWI President’s XI. He showed great promise in the CG United Super50 last year and then got his first hundred in the West Indies Championship last week. We believe he should be given an opportunity at this level. He has also showed leadership, as captain of the Windwards at the start of this season.”

Haynes added: “Jordan has been very impressive from last year, he has continued to bowl well, and has been excellent in the first two matches so far this year. He is very skilful, can bowl the new ball, and looks to put the ball in the right areas. He is also a sharp fielder and good catcher close to the wicket. This will be a challenging tour. There is no easy away tour in Test cricket. South Africa have a good team, but I am sure we will be up for the task and will do well in these two Test matches.”

The upcoming Series is the final Test fixture for both teams in the ICC World Test Championship. West Indies are currently in sixth place and have the opportunity, with a Series win to move above South Africa, currently in fourth place, in the final table.

West Indies are due to arrive in South Africa on 17 February. They will face South Africa in two Test matches at SuperSport Park in Centurion (28 February to 4 March) and the Wanderers in Johannesburg (8 to 12 March). Following the Tests, West Indies will then play a white ball series. The squads for these will named at a later date.

FULL SQUAD

Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain)

Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain)

Alick Athanaze

Tagenarine Chanderpaul

Roston Chase

Joshua Da Silva

Shannon Gabriel

Jason Holder

Akeem Jordan

Alzarri Joseph

Kyle Mayers

Gudakesh Motie

Raymon Reifer

Kemar Roach

Devon Thomas

The second Test between West Indies and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane remains finely poised after a riveting second day's play. At stumps, the West Indies, who scored 311 in their first innings, were 13 for 1, holding a slender lead of 35 runs after Australia declared their first innings reply on 289-9.

The visitors faced a tricky half-hour's play under the lights, and Tagenarine Chanderpaul became the sole wicket in the last over of the day, caught behind off the bowling of Josh Hazelwood for four.

Earlier in the day, Australia's innings experienced a rollercoaster ride, recovering from a precarious position of 54-5 to declare on 289-9. West Indies' fast bowlers, Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph, wreaked havoc, with Joseph claiming 4-84 and Roach providing crucial support with 3-47.

However, a remarkable counterattacking display by Alex Carey, who scored a brisk 65 in a partnership with Usman Khawaja, and an aggressive unbeaten 64 from Captain Pat Cummins, guided Australia back into contention. The hosts were struggling at 24 for 4 at dinner and 54 for 5 not long after, but the innings turned around with resilient performances.

Carey's innings, reminiscent of the legendary Adam Gilchrist, featured fearless strokes, but he fell for 65 from 49 balls before tea. Khawaja played the anchor role, contributing 75 runs, but was eventually dismissed by Kevin Sinclair. Mitchell Starc's departure on the stroke of tea left Australia in a precarious position.

A crucial moment occurred when a delivery from Shamar Joseph narrowly missed dislodging Carey's off bail, providing a stroke of luck for the Australian batsman. He capitalized on this fortune, striking three consecutive boundaries and displaying aggressive strokes. However, his dismissal at a critical juncture added to Australia's challenges.

In the final overs, West Indies' Chanderpaul fell to Hazelwood, setting the stage for a closely contested Test match. The fate of the game remains uncertain, with both teams aiming to seize control in the upcoming sessions.

At the start of play the West Indies resumed from their overnight score of 266-8 with Kevin Sinclair on 16. Kemar Roach joined him at the crease and together they resisted the Australian attack without much bother.

The pair batted through the first hour without loss with Sinclair doing the bulk of the scoring. The partnership was finally broken after Roach defended a ball to mid-off and called for a single, but Sinclair caught a glimpse of Labuschagne swooping in and made a very late call of no with Roach already halfway down. He slipped over trying to put the brakes on and was run out with ease.

Australia could have removed Sinclair on 30. He poked Pat Cummins straight to gully and Green spilt a sitter at thigh height. The Guyanese bowling all-rounder made Green and Australia pay with some excellent shots thereafter, sweeping Nathan Lyon for four and then lofted him inside-out over mid-off in consecutive balls to bring up his half-century.

He fell next ball, stumped by Alex Carey, for a well-played 50.

Mitchell Starc ended with 4-82 with Hazlewood taking 2-38 and Lyon 2-81.

 7 m

The two came together with Pakistan three wickets down with only two runs on the board after Kemar Roach removed Abid Ali for 1 and Azhar Ali for a duck and Jayden Seales dismissed for Imran Butt for one by the end of the fourth over of the day.

Together they mounted a fightback putting on 158 runs for the fourth wicket before Alam, on 76, was forced to retire hurt from a leg injury with the score of 160-3.

Not long after, with the score on 168, Roach picked up his third wicket when he had Babar caught at slip by Jason Holder for 75.

The West Indies were unable to make any further breakthroughs as Mohammad Rizwan and Faheem Ashraf on 22 and 23, respectively saw Pakistan safely to stumps on 212-4 having stitched together a fifth-wicket stand of 44.

Kemar Roach was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3-49 from 17 overs. Seales took 1-25 from 11 overs.

On a grassy surface that offered bounce and pace to fast bowlers, South Africa bowled the West Indies out for scores of 97 and 162 while securing victory by an innings and 63 runs inside three days. South Africa made 322 in their only turn at-bat.

However, according to Roach, who took 2-64 from the 20 overs he bowled, said pitches like the one they played on will ultimately benefit the players in the region.

“I think the pitches benefit us in the long run, especially when we go on tours to South Africa and Australia where the bounce is a lot more,” Roach said.

“We wouldn’t be unfamiliar when we go to these countries. I think it’s good to have a pitch like this in the Caribbean we can prepare ourselves for these overseas tours.”

The bowler, who is a few days shy of his 33^rd birthday, had a successful stint in May with Surrey in the English County Championship where he took 22 wickets at an average of 20.54. Among the 22 wickets were nine that he took in his final match against Middlesex.

He said the pitches he played on were different in nature to the one in St Lucia.

“Pitches don’t bounce much in England. There is a lot of movement because of the atmosphere and the amount of grass they put on the pitch,” he said, adding that he believes he and his teammates will need to adjust their game to suit the surface.

“The pitch in St Lucia bounced a lot more than I have seen in a while. It reminds me of a wicket in Australia or probably South Africa, so it’s about us adapting. It’s about taking on the challenge and trying to be as positive as we can.”

The West Indies will see how much they have adjusted to the St Lucia pitch when the second Betway Test begins on Friday.

The West Indies had a promising start in the second Test, bowling South Africa out for 160 in their first innings, with Shamar Joseph leading the charge with a five-wicket haul. However, the West Indies' reply fell short as they were bowled out for 144, conceding a 16-run lead that proved crucial in the tightly contested match.

Reflecting on the loss, Brathwaite acknowledged that failing to capitalize on their strong bowling performance was a key factor in the defeat. "Yeah, if you look at it, obviously it was quite big," Brathwaite said about South Africa's last-wicket stand on the opening day. "But bowling them out for 160, I was happy. That partnership for them was, was good. You know, it's cricket where partnerships do happen. So, I won't really stress on that too much."

"But what I would say is our first innings total needed to be bigger. We needed to get a lead from it. I think that was very important. You can never complain about the bowlers' effort to bowl them out for 160 but yeah, the batting effort in the first innings just wasn't big enough. We had to fight back into the game. And, in the end, we fell short."

Jason Holder also contributed with a half-century in the first innings, and Brathwaite was particularly impressed with Alick Athanaze, who he believes has the potential to score many Test centuries in the future. "I think Alick, his innings was important to continue to keep learning as batters. Alick has a world of potential. I can see him scoring a lot of Test hundreds, but we just got to keep thinking about our game, finding ways to improve," he said.

Despite the series loss, Brathwaite highlighted several positives from the two Tests. Shamar Joseph, who did not play in the first Test, made an impactful return by dismantling South Africa's top order with 5 for 33 in the first innings. Jayden Seales was the team's highest wicket-taker with 12 wickets in the series, including a 6 for 61 haul in the second innings of the second Test as the West Indies restricted South Africa to 246 for a lead of 262.

"I think bowling-wise, you look at Shamar coming back in, not playing the first Test, and coming in bowling out South Africa on the first day. Jayden throughout the series, continued to keep coming despite the hot conditions. That was a positive," Brathwaite said. "You see the two spinners, one of the first time two spinners played together in the Caribbean, and they did well, in particular this game where both of them were under three runs an over. That's one thing we asked for, and that was great to see."

Looking ahead, Brathwaite is optimistic about the future, particularly with the fast bowling unit, which he believes will be a formidable force in upcoming Test matches. However, he also emphasized the importance of the batting unit stepping up to the challenge.

"As I said, the future is very bright for our fast bowling unit, and we've still got Kemar Roach, with loads of experience on it. You know, he still has a lot of Test matches left in him. So it's very exciting," Brathwaite remarked. "But I must say, I'm very excited about the batting unit. I really think the line-up we have, can do the job."

"So, I am excited for the fast bowlers, but I really believe that this top five can do a good job for West Indies. So, we just got to keep believing."

As the West Indies look to build on the positives from this series, Brathwaite's focus remains on consistency and mental toughness, key ingredients for success in the demanding arena of Test cricket.

Having travelled with seven uncapped players in their 15-man squad, it was always expected that West Indies would field at least three debutants in the series, which forms part of the ICC Test Championships, and with Joseph, Hodge and Greaves all showing their worth in the drawn three-day warm-up match against Cricket Australia XI, it comes as no surprise that they secured spots in the starting team.

In fact, only five members of the current squad -Brathwaite, Joshua Da Silva, Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Tagenarine Chanderpaul -were a part of the squad that toured Australia last summer, while Chanderpaul (eight), Gudakesh Motie (four), Alick Athanaze (two), and Kirk McKenzie (one) have a mere 15 Tests between them, which underscores the inexperience of the current West Indies outfit.

Still, Brathwaite, who is only 13 Tests away from the 100-mark milestone, is backing his side to prove competitive against the formidable Australians, provided they maintain their discipline for long periods.

The Domincan-born Hodge and Barbadian Greaves will bat at five and six behind Brathwaite and the left-handed trio of Chanderpaul, McKenzie, and Athanaze, while Shamar Joseph will join Roach and vice-captain Alzarri Joseph in a three-pronged pace attack.

"All I want to see from the team is fight. Obviously, we have a lot of guys that are relatively new to Test cricket, and they have got to show their worth to the world. It is understandable that we are the underdogs, but my thing for the guys is show the world what you can do and make West Indians proud," Brathwaite said. 

"We're obviously playing against the number one team, but I believe we do have the potential. It all revolves around discipline - how long we can be disciplined for as a bowling unit, because we don't want to go in fours and fives obviously. So, once we can be disciplined and obviously put partnerships on the board, anything is possible. But we've got to work extremely hard, and we have to believe in ourselves," he added.

Brathwaite is well aware that they are faced with a daunting task of trying to secure West Indies first win in Australia in over 27 years, but he is hopeful that the knowledge imparted by Brian Lara at training over the past few days, will serve as inspiration to spur the debutants, in particular, to great heights in Adelaide.

"It's always amazing to have Brian around. He has a good set of runs here at Adelaide, so if he could give some of the guys [an idea of how to score] that would be great. But obviously, his wisdom is always good, his advice. He's been through many situations, especially here in Australia and against Australia. My advice to the guys will always be to tap into him," Brathwaite said.

The opening Test will be live on SportsMax this evening from 7:30E Caribbean (6:30 JA).

West Indies XI: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Kemar Roach

Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

The West Indies are playing an intra-squad match in preparation for their three-Test series against England starting on July 8.

Brathwaite faced 162 balls for his 84 that included nine fours while Hope scored 83 during a knock that helped keep the middle order together before the team collapsed after he was dismissed at 275 for 6.

The last three batsmen failed to score meaning the Brathwaite XI was unable to push the score past the three-hundred-run mark.

Brathwaite’s XI got off to a shaky start when John Campbell was caught by Alzarri Joseph off the bowling of Shannon Gabriel for 0 with the score at 9. Sharmarh Brooks and Brathwaite added 40 for the second wicket before the former was caught behind off Gabriel for 17.

Hope joined Brathwaite at the crease and together they mounted a third-wicket stand of 102. However, with the score at 152, Kemar Roach breached Brathwaite’s defences and ended his 220-minute stay at the crease.

Hope, now settled, and Roston Chase began to stage another useful partnership but with the score at 224 Preston McSween induced Chase to nick one to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva for 37.

From there it was down to Hope to hold the lower order together but once he got out with the score at 273, Joseph quickly wrapped up the tail as the last four wickets fell with the score at 275.

The lanky Antiguan ended with figures of 4 for 60. Shannon Gabriel who did the early damage returned figures of 3 for 32 while there was a wicket each for Roach and Rakheem Cornwall.

England are in a good position, having ended the day on 258-4, a far cry from the 122-4 they were in when Buttler came to the crease.

Before that, Kemar Roach had removed second-Test century-maker, Dom Sibley, for a duck, trapping him leg before wicket in the first over of the day.

Then came the run out of Joe Root for 17, Roston Chase clipping the bales.

Ben Stokes and opener Rory Burns tried to fashion a recovery before the latter was pushed back with some short deliveries before being bowled by Roach for 20.

The West Indies were looking good with England at 92-3, and when Burns was caught brilliantly at slip by Rahkeem Cornwall off the bowling of Roston Chase for 57, the West Indies were in great shape with two new batsmen and England teetering at 122-4.

But that’s where it ended as Pope, 91, and Buttler, 56, saw out the day in relative comfort, their partnership now worth 136.  

“I thought we started very well. Obviously Buttler and Pope had a good partnership, they batted well and so we know we have some hard work come tomorrow,” said Brathwaite in a press conference following stumps.

While Pope and Buttler have rescued England from a precarious position, Brathwaite does not believe the game has gotten away from the West Indies and tomorrow brings a fresh opportunity.

“We had a plan and obviously to bowl first but it’s been a pretty even day and obviously good from the two at the crease but I think tomorrow we have to start well and look to limit them to as few as possible,” said Brathwaite.

While tomorrow’s morning session is important, Brathwaite says the West Indies won’t panic and will stick to their plans and be patient.

“We have to start well and by that I mean we don’t have to rush wickets. I think if we build pressure by bowling a lot of dot balls and no boundary balls, that will create pressure to bring wickets. We don’t have to rush it in the morning session, I believe once we keep it tight, the tightness will bring wickets,” he said.

Under overcast skies West Indies captain Jason Holder had chosen to bowl first, only to see his much-vaunted pace-bowling attack repelled by dogged English batting that kept his side in the field for 162 overs and the better part of two days.

Architects of the English first-innings total of 469-9 declared were the side’s vice-captain, Ben Stokes, 176, and opener Dom Dibley, 120.

To help keep the run-scoring in check, Chase bowled a mammoth 44 overs to claim 5-143, while pacers Kemar Roach, 2-58, Alzarri Joseph and Holder, 1-70, offered support with their wickets.

In reply, the West Indies have already lost the services of John Campbell, after Sam Curran trapped him leg before for 12. Opener Kraigg Brathwaite, 6, and Joseph, the night watchman, 14, are the batsmen at the crease, with the West Indies 32-1.

Despite the setback, Chase believes the West Indies have the tools to overhaul England’s total.

“I would never say that the 400 and odd is beyond us with the talent of the players that we have,” he said in a post-match conference on Friday.

Chase does recognize though, that batting on the third day may provide different challenges to the ones the English batsmen managed to navigate on the first two days.

“I would say that the wicket is slower than in that first innings when the ball was skidding on, so you have to give yourself time to adjust,” said Chase.

Even with that fact, however, Chase is still optimistic about his side’s chances, even though the odds of an England win stand at 70%.

“But I am backing our players to get the total or even close to it and then put them in a place where they have to decide what they are going to do,” said Chase.

Odds for the game ending in a draw now stand at 28% with a West Indies victory at this stage at a mere 2%.

The West Indies lead the three-Test series 1-0 and only need a draw to secure their hold on the Wisden Trophy.

England skipper Joe Root gave the signal to declare the innings on 469-9 just about an hour before close of play but before that, the side’s vice-captain, Ben Stokes, 176, and opener Dom Dibley, 120, made the West Indies toil.

Chase, himself, bowled a mammoth 44 overs to claim 5-143, while pacers Kemar Roach, 2-58, Alzarri Joseph and Holder, 1-70, offered support with their wickets.

In reply, the West Indies have already lost the services of John Campbell, after Sam Curran trapped him leg before for 12. Opener Kraigg Brathwaite, 6, and Joseph, the night watchman, 14, are the batsmen at the crease, with the West Indies 32-1.

“Most teams being out there for 160-odd overs you would begin to see the tiredness and the lines and lengths start to go wrong, but we didn’t let it get away from us. We still kept the run rate to under three and that was our aim from the beginning,” said Chase.

A large part of that were the 32 overs bowled by Roach. The pacer went at a miserly 1.76 runs per over even though he didn’t get among the wickets til late in the day when he had Stokes caught behind attempting a reverse sweep, and Woakes caught at slip with a peach of a delivery with the very next ball.

“We didn’t get wickets in clusters or really fast like we did in the first game but we stuck to the game plan and stuck to the task,” said Chase.

The West Indies were in for a surprise after believing they could get the most out of the wicket on day one under gloomy skies and with some moisture from rainy days still affecting the pitch.

“I thought the conditions played a big role in us deciding to bowl first. Outside was very overcast and dark, the lights were on before play even started, and having the success we had in the first game as well, everyone was down for the decision to bowl first. But as I said, the English batters played tremendously so kudos to them,” said Chase.

There were a few instances when things looked to be falling apart for the West Indies toward the end of the England innings.

Roach dropped a catch, pushing his effort over the ropes for six, Shannon Gabriel missed an easy run out, having caught the return but failed to make contact with the stumps, as well as a couple of other misfields.

Those instances, though, Chase explained are bound to occur after such a long time in the field.

We made a few blunders in the field which is going to happen when you’re out there for that long because your body is under tremendous strain but all in all I think it was a good effort from the guys,” said Chase.

Holder, 21, sharing the new ball with West Indies pacer Kemar Roach, bowled with pace and hostility, undermining the Scorpions batting for the second time in the match and paving the way for a commanding victory for the Pride on the third day of third-round matches in the Championship.

Holder bagged 6-47 from 14.3 overs to follow up his first-innings five-wicket blast and ended with match figures of 11-92, making him a shoo-in for the Player of the Match award.

Chasing 288 for victory, the Scorpions never recovered after they slumped to 37 for four before lunch.

Nkrumah Bonner led the way with 39 and Denis Smith, the former Volcanoes wicketkeeper/batsman from Grenada, added 26, but no other batsman reached 20.

The most defiant period for the Scorpions was a 49-run stand for the seventh wicket between Smith and Derval Green, which carried them past 100, but there was to be no comeback story for the hosts.

The result gave Pride their second successive win for the season and a haul of 18.8 points, and Scorpions failed to fashion an escape plan on the third time of asking this season, slumping to their first defeat after they drew their first two matches.

Earlier, there was token resistance from the Pride tail-enders after the visitors resumed from their overnight total of 179 for six.

Pride added 27 before they were bowled out inside the first half-hour, but no batsman reached 20.

Scorpions pacer Nicholson Gordon claimed three of the last four wickets to finish with a career-best 6-45 from 15 overs.

Scores: Pride (219) & (206) beat Scorpions (138) & (168) by 119 runs at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica

The bowling unit of Kemar Roach, Jason Holder and Shannon Gabriel and on occasion Alzarri Joseph has done well for the West Indies in recent series, leading an excited Estwick's claim that the West Indies were ‘beginning to get blessed again with fast bowlers’ and that 'the current crop was the best group since the great days.’

While agreeing that the unit did possess some amount of talent, Mohammed insisted Estwick’s comparison was a bit over the top.

“I think there is too much being made about the quality of our fast bowling.  Roddy Estwick made the point that this is our best fast bowling unit since the great era, that is complete nonsense,” Mohammed told the Mason and Guest Radio program.

“These four fast bowlers are really good and show tremendous talent, but I think Roddy is getting a little carried away, there is no way this quartet compares with the like of Roberts, Malcolm, Croft, and Garner,” he added.

In addition to the afore mention trio, however, the current crop is also able to call on the likes of bowlers Chemar Holder and O’shane Thomas who have plenty of pace, if not the necessary experience.

This is in addition to 90 players across the region who are contracted to Territorial Board Franchise Squads.  

The West Indies Men’s contracted player list sees fast bowler Jayden Seales, left-arm seamer Obed McCoy and allrounder Odean Smith awarded international retainer contracts for the first time. The West Indies Women’s contracted player list sees allrounders Mandy Mangru and Jannillea Glasgow along with batter Rashada Williams awarded international retainer contracts for the first time, all of which are development contracts.

For 2022-23, CWI has changed the Men’s retainer contract structure to offer player contracts across all formats of cricket, compared to specific red or white-ball contracts in previous years.  The offer of retainer contracts to all players follows an Evaluation Period of performances from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, which is also supported by statistics from the previous 2019 -2020 Evaluation Period. This allows for all players to be appraised immediately after the Evaluation Period and provides a notice period before new contracts start on 1 July 2022. The system is designed to reward hard work and performance results. 

“Congratulations to all the players who have been offered contracts.  We think this is a dynamic group, with the right mixture of experience and youthfulness to properly represent the people of the Caribbean. With general retainer contracts, it gives us a pool of talented and dedicated cricketers, who can take West Indies cricket forward in years to come,” said West Indies Men’s Lead Selector the Hon. Desmond Haynes.

West Indies Women’s Lead Selector, Ann Browne-John also offered her congratulations.

“The selectors have placed a great focus on the young developing players because these are the ones who will help to build the team as we look towards the future. The panel believes that the combination of experienced players and the emerging players will give a good base as we continue to prepare teams for international matches and the T20 World Cup early next year,” she said.

“I am delighted for all the players who have been offered retainers for the upcoming period. This represents a significant investment in the ongoing development of our international players whilst also ensuring our best players are available for selection,” said CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.

Full list of contracted players:

West Indies Men

Jermaine Blackwood
Nkrumah Bonner
Kraigg Brathwaite
Joshua Da Silva
Jason Holder
Shai Hope
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Kyle Mayers
Obed McCoy
Nicholas Pooran
Rovman Powell
Kemar Roach
Jayden Seales
Romario Shepherd
Odean Smith
Hayden Walsh Jr.

West Indies Women

*Denotes developmental contract 

Aaliyah Alleyne
Shemaine Campbelle
Shamilia Connell
Deandra Dottin
Afy Fletcher
Cherry Ann Fraser *
Shabika Gajnabi *
Jannillea Glasgow *
Chinelle Henry
Mandy Mangru *
Hayley Matthews
Anisa Mohammed
Chedean Nation
Karishma Ramharack
Kaysia Schultz *
Shakera Selman
Stafanie Taylor

Rashada Williams*

Roach learned of his father’s death on Wednesday.

“Losing a loved one is never easy and we want to offer our full support to Kemar during this very difficult time,” said team manager Rawl Lewis in offering condolences on behalf of Cricket West Indies.

“We got the news as we prepared for the Test match here and the players and team support staff all got together and offered tremendous support.”

Both teams wore black armbands on the opening day of the Test match in honor of the fast bowler’s late father.

Roach has so far taken 1 for 53 from 15 overs at stumps on day one of the Test in which New Zealand were 243 for 2.

It was an encouraging start for the tourists, especially with England being one specialist batsman light for the match after choosing to select four fast bowlers as well as a spinner. That meant star allrounder Ben Stokes moved up the order to No. 4.

Stokes was already in the middle by lunch, but brilliant bowling from Kemar Roach just after had him bowled for 20.

After the Windies won the toss under overcast skies, Kemar Roach trapped Sibley lbw off the sixth ball of the innings from a ball that didn't deviate. Sibley, a century-maker in the second Test won by England, didn't get off the mark this time after playing across the delivery and was so plumb he didn't bother reviewing.

Root played circumspectly for his 17 off 59 balls and was looking set when he tried to pinch a single after Burns steered recalled spinner Rahkeem Cornwall down to third man. Roston Chase threw to the wicketkeeper's end and clipped the outside of the stump, one bail popping up with Root short of the crease.

West Indies paceman Shannon Gabriel started for the third straight match this series and spent some time off the field with an apparent hamstring strain after pulling up during his fourth over. He returned, though, to the relief of captain Jason Holder and was back bowling before lunch.

The not out batsmen are Ollie Pope on 24, and Jos Buttler on three.

The series is tied at 1-1 and the Windies, who won the first test in Southampton, are looking to capture a test series in England for the first time since 1988.

England recalled pacemen Jofra Archer and James Anderson in place of Sam Curran and top-order batsman Zak Crawley, leading to that restructuring of the batting order.

Stokes is struggling for full fitness and is unlikely to bowl, so will be a specialist batsman for this Test.

The West Indies made one change, bringing in Cornwall for Alzarri Joseph.

The Caribbean side’s preparations for the series, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), will hit another gear when they engage a young Cricket Australia XI in a three-day, practice match at Karen Rolton Oval, on Wednesday.

Coley, working with a fairly inexperienced 15-man squad which boast seven uncapped players, expressed pleasure with how things are coming together, and is optimistic that his team can find success on this occasion. It has been well over 20 years since West Indies las won a Test series in Australia dating back to a 1992-93 series, which they won 2-1.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite is one of only five members of the squad returning to Australia, along with long-standing pacer Kemar Roach, vice-captain Alzarri Joseph, wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva and opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul. The seven debutants are opener Zachary McCaskie, Tevin Imlach, all-rounders Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Kevin Sinclair, Akeem Jordan and Shamar Joseph.

“Everybody wants to do well here, whether they have had experience of playing here in the past, or it is their first trip. It has been a good experience watching them get over the jetlag and then get into the work, whatever it has been on a specific day, and the focus has been good,” Coley shared in a Cricket West Indies (CWI) interview ahead of the warm-up game.

The practice match does not have first-class status, which means both teams can rotate more than 11 players through their line-ups, and this provides Coley the opportunity to better observe the new players in action.

“When you think about Test matches, it’s really important that you are able to bat a day to be able to set up the game from a batting standpoint. On the flipside of that it’s pretty simple for me, if you can get the opposition out before the end of a day’s play, so for me, those are easy markers,” he said.

“How we go about it as a batting and bowling group is where it becomes more specific as it relates to the roles and the different skill sets that each player brings to the table. But we are looking to keep it really, really simple, and these are some of the markers that we are looking to get out of the game,” Coley added.

That said, Coley pointed to the progress made in their build up to the Test match. The first Test is scheduled for January 17 in Adelaide, with the second set to take place on January 25 at The Gabba.

“I am happy with the progress we have made. It has been a gradual adjustment (to the conditions), but at the end of the day, regardless of how the pitch plays and what response we get from the pitch when bowling, each player has to adapt to what is in front of him,” Coley declared.

He continued: “Sometimes the pitch has little to do with it, as opposed to being locked in to what is in front of you. I think we have covered that pretty well in the batting, and similarly, adjusting to bowling lengths and what we want to achieve.

“The ability to hit specific areas has been good, as well as getting a general feel for how the ball moves around in the atmosphere from a fielding standpoint, we have been able to spend some time on that.”

Veteran all-rounder Holder and pace bowler Seales missed the Windies' last red-ball outing against Australia in January.

Holder opted to play for Dubai Capitals in the International League T20 but his form in the longest format of cricket with Barbados and Worcestershire has brought a recall.

Seales was unavailable for the tour of Australia with a shoulder injury but has impressed in England this season for Sussex as the joint-highest wicket-taker in Division Two of the County Championship.

The touring West Indians will also have Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Kemar Roach as seam-bowling options to choose from.

At the top of the order, opening batter Tagenarine Chanderpaul has been dropped after just 31 runs across four innings against Australia.

Mikyle Louis has replaced Chanderpaul and could become the first man from St Kitts to play Test cricket for West Indies, if selected for the first Test at Lord's, starting on July 10.

"The squad has been shaped with both experience and emerging talent, ensuring a strong balance as we face the challenge of playing in English conditions," Desmond Haynes, West Indies' lead selector, said.

"Over the past year, our red-ball program has continued to develop. Following our victory in the last Test in Australia in January, it is evident that we are seeing the fruits of that investment.

"Each player selected has earned their place through consistent performances and hard work. We are confident that this blend of seasoned players and emerging faces will perform admirably against England."

West Indies 15-man Test squad for England tour:

Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wicket-keeper), Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph (vice-captain), Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair.