West Indies name 13-man squad for first Test against England

A host of key names are missing from West Indies' squad for the first Test against England next month. The selectors recalled John Campbell, while a maiden call-up ensued for Anderson Phillip for the opening Test in Antigua after impressing in the regional four-day competition.

Campbell made 127 while opening the innings for Jamaica against Barbados in a four-day fixture last week. However, Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite's 276 in that game trumped Campbell's innings, resulting in Barbados' win.

In contrast, right-arm seamer Phillip from Trinidad is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 12 wickets in two games at 14.25.

Chief selector and former West Indian opener Desmond Haynes addressed Phillip's selection, saying they have rewarded him for bowling impressively in domestic cricket. Haynes expects a competitive outing from the hosts, keeping in mind the players chosen, saying:

"Anderson Phillip bowled extremely well, and was very impressive in the first two rounds of the West Indies Championship, and we decided to give him an opportunity in the Test squad to face England. He has been around the squad before in white-ball cricket, so he has some experience at the international level."

"I expect us to be very competitive against England. This should be a very exciting series, with a lot of players who are out to make their mark. We have a squad that has some experienced players, as well as some exciting young players, and we expect them to equip themselves well and do the job," the 66-year old continued as quoted by Windescricket.com.

Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shai Hope, Jeremy Solzano and Jeremy Solzano are not in the squad that lost to Sri Lanka 0-2 late last year. Meanwhile, Shannon Gabriel could not make the cut due to a hamstring injury.

West Indies' squad for the first Test against England

Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.

The West Indies took the five-match T20 series narrowly against England, but they endured a winless tour of India. They will now aim to earn some redemption against Joe Root and co.

Meanwhile, keeper-batter Shane Dowrich will lead the CWI President's XI in a warm-up game against England from 1st to 4th March.