ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Emerging left-handed batsmen Alick Athanaze and Kirk McKenzie could be in line to make their debut in Tests after they were named in a 13-member West Indies squad for the first Test against India, starting on July 12 at Windsor Park in Dominica.
The spin bowling pair of Rahkeem Cornwall and Jomel Warrican have also been named in the squad, which will travel to the Dominica captain of Roseau on Sunday following their ongoing pre-series training camp at Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
The selection panel also named the uncapped pair of pacer Akeem Jordan and wicketkeeper-batsman Tevin Imlach as travelling reserves for the match, which is also part of new ICC World Test Championship cycle.
Athanaze and McKenzie have grown their reputations in recent months with performances stretching from West Indies Championship to Headley-Weeekes Tri-Series to the West Indies A Tour of Bangladesh, and lead selector Desmond Haynes felt the time was right to give them an opportunity.
“We were very impressed with the approach to batsmanship of McKenzie and Athanaze on the recent ‘A’ Team tour of Bangladesh,” Haynes said. “These are two young players who got good scores and played with great maturity, and we believe they deserve an opportunity.”
If he plays, it will be a grand homecoming for Athanaze, a Dominican, who was the leading batsman in the West Indies Championship with 647 runs, which included two hundreds.
The 23-year-old Dominican created quite a stir when he made his One-day International debut against the United Arab Emirates last month in Sharjah and scored the joint fastest half-century on debut, a pulsating 65 off 45 balls, including 51 which came in the Power Play alone, and he will be looking to transfer that confidence into the longer format, if selected.
McKenzie, 22, an opener from Jamaica, made a huge statement when he gathered a double hundred for West Indies Emerging Players in the Headley-Weekes Tri-Series, and he has hardly placed a foot wrong since, being one of the leading scorers for West Indies A in Bangladesh.
Unlike Athanaze, he has not had the chance to get his feet wet on the international stage, and he has only played nine first-class matches after making his debut last year for Jamaica Scorpions, so playing a Test will be a big step up for him, plus Tagenarine Chanderpaul is the incumbent opening partner for Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite and has proven himself so far in that spot.
With left-hander all-rounder Kyle Mayers dealing with a few niggling injuries from his practically non-stop spell of matches that included the Indian Premier League and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier, a space will open up in the batting for either Athanaze or McKenzie to fill the breach.
“Kyle Mayers was also considered, but he has some niggles, and the precaution is not to have him in the rigours of a five-day match at this stage,” Haynes said.
Rehabilitation from injury to left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie and the precipitous dip of batting form specifically from Roston Chase has opened the door for Cornwall and Warrican.
“We are without Motie, who is doing his rehabilitation, and this has created an opportunity for Warrican and Cornwall in the spin bowling department,” Haynes said. “They have both played at Test match level before and are capable of doing the job.”
Cornwall, 30, played the last of his nine Tests two years ago against hosts Sri Lanka in Galle, and it has been a mystery why he has not played more in the ensuing period, while Warrican, 31, with whom he had formed a lethal partnership for West Indies A in the past, was in the Test squad that toured Zimbabwe earlier this year, but missed out the trip to South Africa that followed.
The fast bowling stocks look settled with Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel, and all-rounder Jason Holder from which the selectors can choose, but emerging talent Jayden Seales has been placed on ice, though he has started back training following knee surgery.
“We had Jayden Seales in the camp, and he has made good progress during his rehab from surgery,” Haynes said. “However, we felt he is not yet quite ready to return, and we don’t want to risk him at this stage.”
With a pall of gloom over the sport in Caribbean following the performance of the One-day International squad in the World Cup Qualifier, fans and the selectors will be hoping that the Test side could play beyond its capacity and push Rohit Sharma’s side, which played in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia.
“Looking ahead to the series, we know it will be a challenging one as we start the new cycle of the ICC Test Match Championship,” Haynes said. “We want to build and improve, and strive to move up the ladder.”
Squad:
Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kirk McKenzie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican.
Travelling Reserves:
Tevin Imlach, Akeem Jordan.
