NEWS
Follow UsWest Indies teenage fast bowler Jayden Seales has been included in the 13-man squad for the first Test against South Africa, set to begin on Thursday (June 10) in St. Lucia. The Windies have also recalled Shai Hope and Kieran Powell to the squad as well.
West Indies have trimmed their 17-man squad to 13. The injured Shannon Gabriel, along with Darren Bravo, wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton and spinner Jomel Warrican miss out.
"Jayden Seales is young, very enthusiastic and has a big heart," West Indies 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," he added.
Hope returns to the side after a poor England tour last year in which he managed just 105 runs from six innings. He is back in the reckoning after an impressive ODI series against Sri Lanka in which he scored 258 runs in three games.
Powell's last Test appearance came in 2018 during the Windies' tour of Bangladesh. The West Indies batsman has played 40 Tests and has slammed three tons, last of which came against Bangladesh 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," he added.
These will be the last Tests for both West Indies and South Africa in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Hosts West Indies are currently in sixth, while South Africa are in spot behind at seven.