Trinidad and Tobago Red Force fast bowler Anderson Phillip is excited at the prospect of representing the West Indies in the two-Test series in Australia saying the conditions should suit his bowling style.
The West Indies take on Australia in the first Test in Perth starting November 30 before traveling to Adelaide for a historic day/night Test starting eight days later.
26-year-old right-arm quick Phillip was among the 16 players selected for the tour and will make the trip along with his Red Force teammates, pace bowler Jayden Seales and wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva, who were also chosen.
Philip said he was not daunted by the prospect of facing the Aussies and said playing a Test in Australia is something he is relishing.
“Playing cricket there is something I’ve always looked forward to. I love Test cricket and I think my strength is with the red ball. I’m really looking forward to it and we’ll see how it goes from there,” he told the Sunday Express yesterday.
“I’m not scared of anything, I just go out and do my best,” he added.
Phillip will make his first trip Down Under with the West Indies Test team with just one match under his belt, having only made his debut in the format against Bangladesh in June.
He also has five one-day internationals to his name, having made his white-ball debut in March last year.
In first-class cricket, Phillip has taken 70 wickets in 19 matches and is looking forward to adapting to conditions that should favor fast bowling.
“The different conditions and pitches down there should suit my type of bowling, so I’m looking forward and hopefully I can have a good experience down there,” he said.
“Once I get the opportunity in the last 11, I just want to go out there and show myself and just be Anderson,” he concluded.
Kraigg Brathwaite will lead the West Indies unit with Jermaine Blackwood as his deputy, while uncapped left-handed opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul also made the cut.
Besides Seales and Phillip, the other fast players on the team are Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Ramon Reifer and Jason Holder. T&T pacer Shannon Gabriel was again overlooked by the West Indies selection panel, which is headed by Desmond Haynes.
Chanderpaul is the only newcomer in the squad, while experienced all-rounder Roston Chase and middle-order player Shamarh Brooks were both recalled to the side.
The West Indies Test squad is expected to assemble in Australia on November 10 and as part of the preparations for the two-match series, the visitors will have a three-day warm-up game against an ACT/NSW XI at Philip Oval. Canberra from 17-19 November.
This will be followed by a four-day pink-ball match against the Australian Prime Minister’s XI at Manuka Oval in Canberra from November 23-25.
The match will be played under lights and will mark the anniversary of the inaugural match in 1951, also against the West Indies.
The Test series will be contested for the prestigious Frank Worrell Trophy – named after the legendary West Indies captain. It will also be part of the ICC World Test Championship.
SQUAD – Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Devon Thomas.
