West Indies Captain Kraigg Brathwaite says he’s pleased with the team’s preparation ahead of the first Test against Australia set to begin on Tuesday in Adelaide.

The tourists played to a draw in their lone three-day warm-up game against a Cricket Australia XI on Friday.

“We as a team are very pleased. The facilities here are outstanding and the boys made good use of it,” the skipper said in an interview after Friday’s final day.

The team had some excellent individual performances throughout the three days including Brathwaite himself getting 52 in the first innings.

He didn’t bat in the second, however, giving the opportunity to wicket-keeper Joshua Da Silva to get some time out in the middle at the top of the order. Da Silva grabbed it with both hands, producing a well-composed 105.

“Felt good. It was important for Joshua to get some batting in the second innings so it was a very good game for us,” Brathwaite said.

Brathwaite also singled out the performances of Justin Greaves and Kavem Hodge in the game. Greaves had scores of 65 and 41* and took two wickets in the match while Hodge had scores of 52 and 99.

“He’s a quality cricketer. I’m not surprised by what he did and I look forward to his future in West Indies cricket,” he said of Greaves.

“Very pleased with the hunger he showed to come again in the second innings and do it. That’s what we want in this team,” Brathwaite said about Hodge.

The team has been in Australia since late December, something Brathwaite believes has helped them to better acclimatize to the conditions.

“I think it’s very good. We would have flown a number of hours to get here so I think initially getting here and getting accustomed to the time zone and getting over jet lag was quite important,” he said.

“Having the time, as well, to practice here in Adelaide and get accustomed to the pitches and stuff was great for us,” he added.

“Quite clear,” was Brathwaite’s response to questions about the XI for the first Test.

“Very happy with how all the guys went about this camp and this game and, obviously, it’s time next week to make the West Indies proud,” he said.

Joshua Da Silva wrapped up West Indies' on-field preparations to cross swords with Australia in a two-Test series by hitting a century in their drawn three-day warm-up contest against a Cricket Australia XI in Adelaide.

Kavem Hodge, who is one of seven uncapped players in the 15-man squad, did his chances of a debut no harm with 99, before being bowled by spinner Doug Warren agonisingly close to reaching three figures. Hodge was desperately unlucky when a ball spun out of the rough, hit the right-hander's back leg and bounced onto the stumps.

Another uncapped player, Justin Greaves hit an unbeaten 41 to go with his first-innings 65, which helped West Indies to 315-5 declared in their second visit to the middle, and a sizeable lead of 392. However, they were unable to complete what would have been a confidence-boosting victory, as Cricket Australia held firm for the stalemate at 149-5.

Scores: West Indies 251 for 8 (Greaves 65, Hodge 52, Brathwaite 52) and 315 for 5 dec (Da Silva 105, Hodge 99) drew with Cricket Australia XI 174 (Ward 50) and 149 for 5 (Sinclair 3-38)

There do, however, remain some concerns for the Caribbean side, as Kirk McKenzie and Alick Athanaze, the men likely to bat numbers three and four, both failed again. McKenzie only mustered scores of 23 and nine, while Athanaze went without scoring in the first innings and posted only 15 in the second.

West Indies need more out of the pair in the upcoming two-Test series -which will be contested for the Frank Worrell Trophy as part of the ICC Test Championships -given they are likely to field debutants in Hodge and Greaves at numbers five and six.

The CA XI were able to hold on for 39 overs to draw the game. West Indies off-spinning all-rounder Kevin Sinclair, famous for his somersault celebrations after wickets, claimed three wickets for 38 runs. That will help his case for a Test call-up, as he battles with Greaves for a spot in the Kraigg Brathwaite-led side.

Still, with all of seven uncapped players in their 15-man squad, the possibility exists that Head coach Andre Coley will have to play at least three debutants against a formidable Australia outfit at Adelaide Oval

That lack of top-level experience highlights the predicament Test cricket finds itself in, with Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers the latest West Indies players to prioritise Twenty20 leagues over the five-day format.

There is no doubt that half-century knocks by Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves in the ongoing three-day warm-up match against Cricket Australia’s XI, have put them at the front of the line to earn their first Test cap, but both remain grounded and focused on the immediate task at hand.

In fact, while both admit that it would be a dream come through to earn their first Test cap in the upcoming two-match series against Australia, they were quick to point out that readiness will be key should Head coach Andre Coley call upon them.

Greaves and Hodge, who are among seven uncapped players in the 15-man squad Down Under, posted scores of 65 and 52 respectively, on the first day of the warm-up contest to assist West Indies to 251-8 declared in Adelaide. Cricket Australia's XI were 52-1 at the time of writing.

After captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored 52 at the top, the Caribbean side lost wickets in quick succession, before Greaves and Hodges anchored the innings with a 120-run, fifth wicket stand, which unfortunately, was followed by another collapse.

Still, Greaves, who recently recovered from a hamstring injury took the positives from the innings, which obviously was his partnership with Hodge.

“It has been an enjoyable one (journey); sometimes plagued by injury, but you know, just try to make the most of it when you get opportunity on the field. So, to be on my first Test tour is great and I'm really looking forward to it. Spending some time with Kevin in the middle last season as well, gave me a bit of confidence up in the middle and our thing is always just try to be as positive as possible,” Greaves said.

The 29-year-old right hand batsman, while declaring that he still enjoys bowling, pointed out that even with runs on the board, it offered very little comfort about whether or not he will get the nod next week.

“No, not really. Just taking it one game at a time. You know, coming here, you just wanted to be able to get into your work and if you're selected for that first Test, you know, just make sure you're prepared,” the Barbados-born Greaves said.

“Anyone coming up in the Caribbean playing cricket, dreams of playing Test, so if I'm selected for the first Test, receiving a cap is always a very big thing. So, for me, being in this group, I've played with most of the guys as I've been travelling a bit in the Caribbean, but I am just trying to enjoy my game as much as possible,” he added.

The Dominican-born Hodge, 30, echoed similar sentiments.

“It was really nice to get some time out in the middle, as a batsman you know that is worth its weight in gold, so I'm really happy for that.

“The partnership with Justin, we understand each other's game pretty well; obviously spending some time in the middle at this level is pretty good and we're really happy for that. It's just unfortunate that we couldn't push on and bat out the rest of the day. But you know, you know, we have a lot of positives from that inning,” Hodge shared.

And like Greaves, Hodge remained modest when asked if he believes the opportunity to possibly earn his first Test cap comes at a time when he is ready.

“Yeah, I'm a firm believer that everything happens on its own timing and what's meant to be, will be. For me, it's just a matter of being ready, whenever that time comes and you know, control what I can control. So, like I said, my big, my biggest thing is just preparing and making the most of whenever the opportunity is there,” the right-hand batsman, who also bowls slow left-arm orthodox spin, declared.

“It would mean a lot to me, obviously, you know, as a little boy growing up, I wanted to play Test cricket, so it's been a dream of mine, and it would definitely be a dream come true. So, until then, you know I'm keeping my fingers crossed and just try and be ready for it,” Hodge ended.

West Indies' batting frailties were again exposed, as they stumbled against an inexperienced Cricket Australia XI on the first of a three-day warm-up match in Adelaide.

Despite getting some positive starts, West Indies batsmen were unable to push on against a CA XI that does not feature any players with Test experience, which basically underscores the Caribbean side's chances, or lack thereof, heading into the first Test against Australia next week.

Scores: West Indies 251 for 8 (Greaves 65, Hodge 52, Brathwaite 52, Haskett 3-57) vs Cricket Australia XI

After opting to take first strike on a dry Karen Rolton wicket, captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who showed class in their previous Test Down Under last summer, led from the front with his 52 at the top.

Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves, both showed Head coach Andre Coley that they are ready for a Test debut, as they scored 52 and 62 respectively.

But amidst the positives, were also concerns for the Regional side. Top-order batters Kirk McKenzie (23) and Alick Athanaze (zero) were both bounced out, in dismissals that will no doubt catch the attention of Australia's seamers.

Brathwaite's dismissal also raised eyebrows. He was caught trying to paddle-sweep Doug Warren in a half-hearted shot that capped a collapse of three wickets for three runs.

Another collapse of four wickets for eight runs, came late in the day around the second new ball, after Hodge and Greaves steadied the innings and took the score to 223 for 4.

Liam Haskett led the CA XI's bowling attack with three for 57, while rising New South Wales talent Jack Nisbet finished with two for 50, and Victorian spinner Warren claimed two for 47. Between them, the three bowlers have played a total of nine first-class matches.

That adds impetus to the genuine concerns over the form of the once-proud team from the Caribbean headed into the two-Test series. They will field at least three debutants in next Wednesday's first Test in Adelaide, with seven uncapped players in their 15-man squad.

Former captain Jason Holder and all-rounder Kyle Mayers both opted out of the tour to pursue Twenty20 opportunities.

West Indies were beaten convincingly in two Tests in Australia last summer, with only five players from that tour in the current squad.

West Indies Test head coach Andre Coley says they will be using the opening practice match on their tour of Australia to tighten up in both the batting and bowling departments, as they brace for what will be a tough two-match Test Series Down Under.

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.”

Head Coach Andre Coley welcomed the West Indies A team tour of South Africa as a significant assignment to not only define, but more importantly, develop the region’s depth of talent in the longer formats of the game.

The Joshua Da Silva-captained team will engage their South African counterparts in three Tests between November 21 and December 8.

“It will give us an opportunity to boost our red-ball opportunities outside of the Caribbean. Earlier this year, we went to Bangladesh, and we did well there, and now we are going to another part of the world – South Africa. It will give us an opportunity to explore the brand of cricket that we want to play,” Coley said in an interview with CWI Media.

“Our next international assignment is in Australia, and six months after that we go to England, so this A team is positioned to offer red-ball playing opportunities on the back of the just-concluded Super50 Cup,” he added.

Coley, who is also Head coach of the senior West Indies Test side, is no stranger to South African conditions, having guided a Kraigg Brathwaite-led squad on last year’s tour.

“The South Africans are a team that want to play a specific way, and they always look to challenge you, but they respect our players. The pitches have offered pace, have offered bounce, so you will have pitches on which you can trust the bounce,” Coley reasoned.

“Players can, therefore, express themselves, whether they are batting or bowling, but it has never really been a place where the spinners have excelled. So, it’s also an opportunity for our spinners to learn to be effective in those conditions, and I am looking forward to being there,” he noted.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Da Silva will have Tevin Imlach as his deputy in a squad that also boast the experience of left-handers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kirk McKenzie, as well as fast bowlers Jayden Seales and Shermon Lewis.

Kevlon Anderson, fast bowler Shamar Joseph, and Jamaican spin bowling all-rounder Abhijai Mansingh, are also in the squad.

Coley, a former Jamaica wicketkeeper-batsman, pointed out that while the main objective is to come away from the tour victorious, there are other goals that are equally important for the development of the West Indies squad.

Coley will be assisted by former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams and former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait.

 “You learn to win over time. We want to see our primary batsman scoring loads of runs, as well as the all-rounders and bowlers averaging above 20 or 30 and building lower order partnerships, that will help to expand our batting options,” Coley said.

“Once we are able to tick the boxes that we have agreed upon, 75 per cent or more of what we have aimed for, that will help to define success,” he ended.

The leg-spin of Javed Leacock proved too good for Jamaica Scorpions, as he secured career-best figures of four wickets for 43 runs to lead Barbados Pride to a 47-run win in their CG United Super50 Cup contest at the Frank Worrell Field in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.

Batting first, Shamarh Brooks (69) and Shai Hope (65), both posted half-centuries in leading Barbados Pride to 259, after which Leacock’s skill with the ball, trumped a brisk 94 from Jamaica Scorpions wicketkeeper/batsman Chadwick Walton and condemned the reigning champions to a second consecutive defeat.

Scores: Barbados Pride 258-6 (50 overs); Jamaica Scorpions 211 all out (44.3 overs)

Walton smashed six fours and six maximums in his 112-ball knock with Jeavor Royal contributing a 34-ball 44, while Jermaine Blackwood made a patient 30 off 49 balls in the Scorpions failed attempt to overhaul their target on this occasion. In their opening contest against Leeward Islands Hurricanes, they lost by eight wickets after posting a paltry total.

Blackwood, West Indies Test vice-captain, had four boundaries in his knock, while Royal had four sixes and one four in his late flurry.

Leacock, playing only his sixth List “A” match, required only eight overs to do the damage, as he accounted for Walton, captain Rovman Powell (zero), Shalome Powell (zero) and Fabian Allen (two).

This, as left-arm pacer Dominic Drakes, two for 14 from 3.3 overs, and Roston Chase, two for 37 from eight overs, took out the Scorpions middle order.

Earlier, the Pride, last year’s beaten semi-finalists had a slight stutter at the start, as they lost opener Kyle Mayers (one) with just four runs on the board.

However, West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite and Brooks steadied the innings with an 88-run stand, before the former fell for a 78-ball 45 which included two boundaries.

Brooks, who had three fours and one six in his 89-ball knock, formed another partnership worth 88 runs with West Indies One-day International captain Hope, whose 76-ball innings included four fours and one six.

There was another stutter after both fell, but Drakes hammered two fours and three sixes in 18-ball cameo to end unbeaten on 40 and, more importantly, saw Pride to what turned out to be a winning target.

Parnell had two wickets for 33 runs, and Gordon, two wickets for 41 runs for the Scorpions.

The tournament continues with a double-header on Saturday when Leeward Islands face West Indies Academy at Queen’s Park Oval and Guyana Harpy Eagles meet Trinidad & Tobago Red Force at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in a day-night contest. The games are scheduled to begin at 9:00am and 1:00pm respectively.

West Indies pacer Kemar Roach took four wickets in the first innings to help Surrey have a 109-run lead over Warwickshire at stumps on day two of their County Championship fixture at the Kia Oval on Monday.

Roach grabbed figures of 4-64 from 13 overs to help restrict Warwickshire to 161 all out in 44.3 overs replying to Surrey’s first innings total of 396.

Michael Burgess led the way for Warwickshire with 54 while West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite made 16.

Roach’s new ball partner, Daniel Worrall, provided excellent support with 3-34 from 12 overs while Tom Lawes took 2-27 off 6.3 overs.

At stumps on day two, Warwickshire were 126-7 off 33 overs following on. Dan Mousley ended the day 60* off 70 balls. Kraigg Brathwaite followed up his first innings 16 with nine.

Worrall (3-17 from seven) and Jordan Clark (3-22 from six) have done most of the damage so far in the second innings.

Scores: Surrey 396 off 109.4 overs (Ben Foakes 125, Cameron Steel 71, Dom Sibley 65, Jamie Smith 60)

Warwickshire 161 off 44.3 overs (Michael Burgess 54, Kemar Roach 4-64, Daniel Worrall 3-34) & 126-7 off 33 overs (Dan Mousley 60*, Daniel Worrall 3-17, Jordan Clark 3-22)

The West Indies have their backs against the wall heading into the final day of the second Test match against India at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. At stumps on Sunday, the Caribbean men were 76-2, still needing 289 runs to achieve an unlikely victory in the milestone 100^th Test match between the two countries.

When play resumes on Monday, Tagenarine Chanderpaul will carry on from 24 and Jermaine Blackwood 20. They and their fellow batters will have to produce something extraordinary of the West Indies are to avoid being swept 2-0 in the series that has so far been a lop-sided affair.

On Sunday, the West Indies resumed from their overnight score of 229-5 with Alick Athanaze on 37 and Jason Holder on 11. Athanaze did not add to his overnight score, trapped lbw by Munesh Kumar. Holder added four when Mohammed Siraj had him caught behind for 15.

There was little resistance after that as Siraj tore through the lower order to end with figures of 5-60. Kumar took 2-48 while Ravindra Jadeja had 2-37 as the West Indies folded for 255.

With a commanding lead of 183 runs, India propelled by half-centuries from Rohit Sharma, who made 57 and Ishan Kishan 52 not out, raced to 181-2 declared in just 24 overs.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal added 38 and Shubman Gill was unbeaten on 29 when the declaration came.

Jomel Warrican, who dismissed Jaiswal, took 1-36 while Shannon Gabriel took the wicket of Sharma to end with 1-33.

Chasing an unlikely target of 365, the West Indies were in trouble early as Ravichandran Ashwin, who has terrorized the West Indies batters during the series dismissed Brathwaite for 28 and Kirk McKenzie for a duck.

Chanderpaul and Blackwood have so far added 32 for the third wicket and will need to add much more on Monday, if the West Indies are to have any chance of surviving the final two days without crumbling to yet another humiliating defeat.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite hit his 29^th Test half-century as the West Indies ended the third day of the second Test against India on 229-5 after 108 overs, trailing by 209 runs at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

The West Indies began the day 86-1 and Brathwaite and his overnight partner, debutant Kirk McKenzie, added a further 31 runs before McKenzie became the first man to fall on day three for a well-made 32 off 57 balls.

Vice-captain, Jermaine Blackwood, then joined the skipper out in the middle and the pair added a further 40 runs to the total before Brathwaite was brilliantly bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin for a top-score of 75 from 235 balls including five fours and a six.

Just after tea, Blackwood became Ravindra Jadeja’s second victim of the innings when he was caught brilliantly by Ajinkya Rahane at first slip for 20 with the score on 178.

Joshua Da Silva was next to go when his middle stump was uprooted by Mohammed Siraj for 10.

Alick Athanaze (37), and Jason Holder (11) were the batsmen at the crease at stumps.

Scores: India 438 off 128 overs (Virat Kohli 121, Rohit Sharma 80, Ravindra Jadeja 61, Yashasvi Jaiswal 57, Ravichandran Ashwin 56, Jomel Warrican 3-89, Kemar Roach 3-104, Jason Holder 2-57) West Indies 229-5 off 108 overs (Kraigg Brathwaite 75, Alick Athanaze 37*, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 33, Kirk McKenzie 32, Ravindra Jadeja 2-37)

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and fellow opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul placed West Indies on a steady foundation, but they are still left with much to do, after Virat Kohli registered a 29th Test century to put India in full command at the end of day two action at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.

Brathwaite ended the day unbeaten on 37, with the Caribbean side at 86-1 in their first innings, still 352 runs behind the visitors, after losing Chanderpaul for 33 shortly before close in this, the 100th Test between the two teams. India lead the two-test series 1-0.

India resumed from their overnight score of 288-4 and though West Indies bowled with some amount of purpose, they couldn’t stop the opponents from posting a daunting 438 all out, just prior to the tea interval.

Kohli scored 121, his first hundred away from home in five years, while Ravendra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, both added half-centuries to what is massive total, give the feeble nature of West Indies batting.

Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican snared two of the last four wickets to end with 3-89 from 39 overs. He had support from veteran pacer Kemar Roach, who had 3-104 from 22 overs, and Jason Holder, who had 2-57 from 21 overs, as West Indies took the last four Indian wickets for a mere 43 runs.

West Indies started their reply in a solid manner, as Chanderpaul and Brathwaite withstood early pressure from India’s seamers, and later capitalised on the hard, easy-paced surface.

The openers hardly played a stroke wrong and had the bowling at their mercy until Jadeja, bowling his left-arm spin, had Chanderpaul caught at backward point, from an ill-advised lofted drive.

It brought Jamaican debutant Kirk McKenzie to the middle and the young left-handed batsman displayed confidence throughout his half-hour knock which included a lofted drive over long-off for six off Ashwin’s off-spin. He will resume on 14 alongside his captain on Saturday’s third day in which they will be targeting at least 239 to avoid being asked to follow-on.

Earlier, Kohli raised a well-deserved century, partnering with Jadeja in a 159-run fifth wicket stand that pushed India past the 350-run mark.

Kohli’s 76th milestone knock came from 180 balls and included 11 boundaries.

Jadeja reached his 50 from 105 balls, before West Indies grabbed a breakthrough when Kohli was run out by Alzarri Joseph.

Further success came for the hosts five overs later when Roach got Jadeja caught behind for 61 after reviewing a negative verdict from South African umpire Marais Erasmus.

West Indies maintained steady bowling in tough conditions after the visitors continued from their lunchtime total of 373 for six, and it paid dividends, though Ashwin defied them to carve out 56.

Holder had Ishan Kishan caught behind for 25, and after being frustrated by Jaydev Unadkat and Ashwin, they eventually made inroads when Warrican had the former stumped.

The spinner then accounted for Mohammed Siraj for a duck, before Roach brought the innings to a close when he had the last laugh in against Ashwin, who smashed three boundaries off in the same over in is 75-ball 50.

With the second and final Test between the West indies and South Africa scheduled to start on Wednesday in Johannesburg, West Indies Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite is urging his team to build on positives he saw in the first Test last week.

The tourists lost the first Test by 87 runs but had some bright spots, including bowling out the hists in both innings.

“I think it was very good for us as a bowling group to get 20 wickets. That was very important. I think it shows we are not far off,” Brathwaite told reporters in a pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

“It gave us that belief that we could do it and just have to keep believing and it doesn’t matter which team we’re playing, we’ve always got to believe. We had a lot of positives in the first Test and we must just keep improving,” Brathwaite added.

With that being said, the Windies had another tough game with the bat, being dismissed for 212 and 159 in their two turns at the crease.

Brathwaite says this has to change if they are to tie the series.

“As a batting unit, we have got to improve. We have got to spend more time out there. South Africa will come hard, no matter the eleven they play, so we must be ready for it,” he said.

“South Africa is a tough team at home and with a little more application from the batsmen, myself included, we could do well here in these conditions,” he added.

West Indies Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite wants his troops to put recent series against Australia and Zimbabwe in the past as they gear up to take on South Africa in the first of three Test matches beginning in Centurion on Tuesday.

The regional side lost 0-2 away to Australia in December last year before beating Zimbabwe 1-0 in January 2023.

"I think Australia is obviously history and the Test series in Zimbabwe, obviously a different calibre team, it was good to get a series with them. I think looking here at the South African team, they still have a lot of experience," Brathwaite said at the press conference before the first Test.

"They have got world class bowlers and some quality batsmen, so we have to play some very good Test cricket and it is important that we take control of every hour and we don't think about the big picture. If we take control of every hour, every session, I think we can do well," he added.

The West Indies had three good batting displays against the Zimbabweans, producing scores of 447-6 declared, 203-5 declared and 292.

Individually, Brathwaite’s opening partner Tagenarine Chanderpaul notched his maiden Test double ton while Raymon Reifer, Jermaine Blackwood and Roston Chase all hit fifties. Joshua Da Silva and Jason Holder both made half centuries in the warm-up match against a South Africa Invitational XI ahead of this series.

Brathwaite hopes this form can carry over into the first Test and beyond.

“It is important that we have a team effort in South Africa. So, it's good to see the top order getting some scores in Zimbabwe and the middle-order in the practice games before the first Test. It's great. It's important we put all the pieces together in this series," he said.

The 30-year-old also encouraged his bowlers ahead of the first Test.

"I think we look forward to bowling at any batting lineup in the world," Brathwaite said.

"We won't be focusing on what the teams have done in the past. It's important that we hit our straps and discipline is very important. We need to stick to our plans and the results will take care of themselves," he added.

South Africa are coming off a 0-2 defeat at the hands of the Aussies themselves and are in a transitional period with Temba Bavuma taking charge in his first series as Test Captain after taking the reins from Dean Elgar.

The first Test bowls off on Tuesday.

Alick Athanaze and Akeem Jordan are the only two newcomers in a 15-member squad named on Tuesday by the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Men’s Selection Panel for the upcoming two-Test Series against South Africa.

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