West Indies announced an 18-man squad for a preparatory camp ahead of the two-match Test series against India. While most of their white-ball players are involved Shai Hope, jason holder and Kyle Mayers currently involved in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifiers, the rest of the Test team led by Kraigg Brathwaite will undergo a preparatory camp starting on Friday, June 30, with the team traveling to Dominica on July 9.
West Indies are facing a decline in all formats of international cricket. After failing to make it to the Super 12 in last year’s T20 World Cup, the men in maroon are on the verge of missing out on a spot in the ODI World Cup for the first time ever. Hence, the Caribbeans will be hoping that the Test team can do something good from the India series, which will mark the start of their World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.
In the 9th Test Championship, West Indies finished 8th in WTC 23 and 6th in WTC 21. Hence, there is a sign of bearishness in the longest format as well. However, some of the youngsters have also put in encouraging performances and Brathwaite and Co. will be hoping to do the same.
The draws in the recently concluded cycle also didn’t help them as they played against teams like Australia and South Africa. With Team India also under pressure, the West Indies couldn’t have found a better time to play the twice-lost WTC finalists at home. The two-match series will begin in Dominica on July 12 and conclude with the second Test starting in Trinidad on July 20.
West Indies squad for preparatory camp: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alik Athanaz, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Tagenarin Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Kevum Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Jair McAllister, Kirk McKenzie, Marquino Mindley, Anderson Phillip, Ramon Reifer, kemar roachJaden Seales, Jomel Warrican.