West Indies name squad for first Test against England

St John's (Antigua), Feb 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) West Indies on Tuesday named their squad for the first Test match against England, scheduled to be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium from March 8-12.

Fast bowler Anderson Phillip has earned his maiden call-up while opener John Campbell has been recalled into the squad after their impressive performances in the first two rounds of the current West Indies Championship.

The 25-year-old Phillip from Trinidad & Tobago Red Force took 12 wickets at an average of 14.25 per wicket, with best figures of 5-82 against Jamaica Scorpions while the 28-year-old Campbell from Jamaica Scorpions hit 213 runs at an average of 53.25, including 127 against Barbados Pride.

"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," said lead selector Desmond Haynes in a Cricket West Indies (CWI) release.

"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," he added.

The West Indies squad will assemble in Antigua from February 25 for a training camp ahead of the Test series.

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice-Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales

Source: IANS