BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies selectors will sit down this weekend to pick the 15-man squad and a captain for the much anticipated three-Test tour of Australia.
The panel, headed by former West Indies off-spinner Clyde Butts and which includes Robert Haynes and Raphick Jumadeen, will meet in Guyana following the completion of the preliminary phase of the ongoing WICB President’s Cup.
Much attention will be focused on the captaincy of the squad, with selectors also expected to recommend their choice to fill the role.
This issue is expected to be the crucial one when the West Indies Cricket Board’s directors also meet at the weekend in Barbados.
They will be expected to ratify the selectors’ recommendation as well as discuss several matters pertaining to the World Twenty20 Championships, scheduled for next year in the Caribbean.
Chris Gayle, who has led the Windies for the last two years, is among several options to be explored, with Trinidad & Tobago skipper Daren Ganga and his teammate Dwayne Bravo also expected to be considered by selectors.
The composition of the squad has taken on special significance, especially following the recent bitter contracts dispute which led to the top tier players withdrawing their service and the selection of a makeshift squad for the Bangladesh series and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.
Following the end of the impasse earlier this month, all the marquee players made themselves available for the President’s Cup which was a major selection criteria for the tour of Australia.
The squad and captain are expected to be announced next week.
West Indies are scheduled to leave on November 9 for Australia where they play Tests in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth before returning home.
