West Indies have announced a 15-player squad for their three-match Test tour of England in July and it witnesses the return of the veteran allrounder Jason Holder and fast bowler Jayden Seales.
Both Holder and Seales were not a part of the West Indies' Test tour of Australia earlier this month. While Holder had opted out of the tour to play in the ILT20 as he wanted to gear up for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Seales was nursing a shoulder injury and was therefore not available for selection.
Holder, 32, was recently ruled out of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup after sustaining an unspecified injury.
He has been rewarded for his consistently good display in the ongoing County Championship for Worcestershire.
On the other hand, Seales has also been impressive in the ongoing County season for Sussex. The right-arm pacer is the leading wicket-taker in Division Two of the County Championship.
The selection panel has dropped opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul. Chanderpaul had an underwhelming tour of Australia where he could only manage 31 runs in four innings.
Tagenarine has been replaced by Mikyle Louis, who finished the 2023-24 season of the West Indies Championship as the leading run-scorer.
The touring party includes a 19-year-old Isai Thorne who will travel with the squad as a development player but has not been included in the 15-member squad.
Desmond Haynes, West Indies' chief selector believes that the squad will perform admirably in England and help the Windies register their first Test series win on English soil since 1988.
"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. Over the past year, our red-ball program has continued to develop," Haynes said.
"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," he added.
West Indies Test squad
Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph (vice-capt), Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair
Development player: Isai Thorne
