Guyanese quartet in Windies Test squad for England tour

…Thorne to travel as development player

Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel has unveiled the 15-member squad that is set to tour England for the Richards- Botham Series, a three-Test affair which starts at Lord’s on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
In that 15-man group, there are four Guyanese players who have been selected: Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Kevin Sinclair and Tevin Imlach, with opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul missing out this time around.

Test matches between these two rivals date back to 1928, when the West Indies made their first trip to England. The teams now compete for the Richards-Botham Trophy, named in honour of West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards and England great Lord Ian Botham.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite will continue his leadership role, with fast bowler Alzarri Joseph again serving as vice-captain. The team is scheduled to arrive in England on June 23, for a training camp at Tonbridge School ahead of a 4-day warm-up match at Beckingham, commencing on July 4.
CWI Lead Selector, the Most Honorable Dr. Desmond Haynes, has expressed confidence in the squad’s composition. “The squad has been shaped with both experience and emerging talent, ensuring a strong balance as we face the challenge of playing in English conditions,” he has said.
“Over the past year, our red-ball programme has continued to develop. Following our victory in the last Test in Australia in January, it is evident that we are seeing the fruits of that investment. Each player selected has earned their place through consistent performances and hard work,” he added.

“We are confident that this blend of seasoned players and emerging faces will perform admirably against England,” he disclosed.
Young fast bowler Jayden Seales has been returned to the squad, having missed the last Test series against Australia due to injury; and experienced all-rounder Jason Holder has earned a recall, after having made himself unavailable for the last tour.
There is also a first international selection for 23-year-old opening batsman Mikyle Louis, a former West Indies U19 International, who scored 682 runs in his debut First Class season for the Leeward Island Hurricanes at an average of 48.71. Should he debut for the West Indies in England, he will become the first Kittian to wear the famous maroon Test cap.

The West Indies 15-member Test squad reads: Captain Kraigg Brathwaite, vice- captain Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair.
These players will be supported by the following team management unit:
Head Coach – Andre Coley
Team Manager – Rawl Lewis
Assistant Coaches – Jimmy Adams and Rayon Griffith
Assistant Coach – Shaun Tait
Physiotherapist – Dr. Denis Byam
Strength & Conditioning Coach – Ronald Rogers
Team Masseuse – Fitzbert Alleyne
Team Analyst – Avenesh Seetram
West Indies’ last Test match ended in resounding victory in Australia earlier this year. All selected players have since been involved in the West Indies Championship, which concluded in April and was won by the Guyana Harpy Eagles.
Isai Thorne, the 19-year-old fast bowler, will travel with the squad as a development player, following impressive performances in his debut First Class season, in which he took 31 wickets at an average of 16.29 in his first eight matches.
The West Indies are the current holders of the Richards-Botham Trophy following the 1-0 Home Test Series win in March 2022.

Richard-Botham Test Series match schedule:
Thursday July 4 to Sunday July 7: 4-day warm-up match at Beckingham
Wednesday July 10 to Sunday July 14: 1st Test match at Lord’s
Thursday July 18 to Monday July 22: 2nd Test match at Trent Bridge
Friday July 26 to Tuesday July 30: 3rd Test match at Edgbaston.