ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC — Unknown Jamaican Reynard Leveridge was the shock pick in a 14-man West Indies A squad named by West Indies selectors yesterday for the tour of Sri Lanka starting next month.
The 26-year-old speedster, who has never played a single first class or List A game, was apparently spotted bowling in the nets by Windies team management ahead of the recent Sabina Park Test against India and created a huge impression.
Leveridge, a towering six-footer, caught the eye bowling with pace and hostility and has now been rewarded with a place on the Windies A four-day squad which will be led by Barbados’ Shamarh Brooks.
The side also includes prolific Guyana Jaguars left-hander Vishaul Singh, discarded Test batsman Rajendra Chandrika, former Test batsman Kieran Powell and out-of-favour Test fast bowler Kemar Roach.
Brooks made 534 runs during the last first class season, Singh gathered 712 at an average of 50 while the 26-year-old Powell, who has already played 21 Tests and 28 One-Day Internationals, is back in West Indies colours after taking a prolonged break from the game.
He played just the last two games of Leeward Islands Hurricanes campaign last season, hitting a half-century in one of his three innings.
Hurricanes teammate Rahkeem Cornwall, who made 367 runs and snared a team-best 48 wickets with his off-spin, has been included along with Roach who has 122 wickets from 37 Tests but has not played since last January on the tour of Australia due to injury and loss of form.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago’s Jason Mohammed has been named to lead the one-day squad, which includes West Indies Twenty20 star Andre Fletcher and emerging talent Rovman Powell.
Mohammed played the last of his two ODIs last November while Fletcher has dropped down to the A squad after featuring for West Indies in the Tri-Nations Series against Australia and South Africa last June.
Powell, meanwhile, will join up with the A squad after representing the senior team in a three-match T20 series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates later this month.
West Indies A will play Sri Lanka A in three four-day games from October 4-21 and three one-dayers from October 24-30.
SQUADS:
FOUR-DAY — Shamarh Brooks (captain), Vishaul Singh (vice-captain), Rajendra Chandrika, Kieran Powell, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Jahmar Hamilton, Damion Jacobs, Rahkeem Cornwall, Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, Kemar Roach, Keon Joseph, Delorn Johnson, Reynard Leveridge.
ONE-DAY — Jason Mohammed (captain), Andre Fletcher (vice-captain), Rovman Powell, Kyle Hope, Chadwick Walton, Andre McCarthy, Assad Fudadin, Veerasammy Permaul, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Damion Jacobs, Delorn Johnson, Ronsford Beaton, Kesrick Williams, Kyle Mayers.