Veteran fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has been withdrawn after being named in the 15-man squad for West Indies’ upcoming tour of Zimbabwe. The left wing duo of Jomel Warrican and Gudakesh Motie have also gained traction alongside Gabriel. Shamarh Brooks, who scored just 52 runs from four innings in the recent tour of Australia, has been dropped from the Test squad.
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The Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection committee has kept faith in all-rounder Raymon Reifer even though he was ruled out of the Australia tour after picking up a groin injury. Devon Thomas, who made his Test debut Down Under, has managed to retain his place in the side. Young seamer Jayden Seales has been ruled out of the upcoming tournament after undergoing knee surgery, while fellow Trinidadian Anderson Phillip has also been sidelined with an injury.
Gabriel is back in the team after Seales is injured. The 34-year-old has taken 161 wickets from 56 Tests. He once spearheaded the Caribbean bowling attack but has not featured in a Test for 15 months due to injury and loss of form, but now returns alongside new bowling partner Kemar Roach, who will lead the bowling line-up pace in Zimbabwe. Gabriel turned out for his native Trinidad and Tobago Red Force last year, struggling in the first-class campaign with a single wicket in four matches, but excelling in the Super50 Cup with 15 wickets from seven outings.
ZIM VS WI: Gabriel comes for Seales
“We looked at the conditions we expect to play in and have included two left-arm spinners who didn’t go to Australia in Motie and Warrican. With our speed players, Seales has done extremely well for us since he started in 2021, but with his absence, we have decided that Gabriel would be able to fill that role best. He (Gabriel) is an experienced footballer who has been at international level for over 10 years and has knowledge of the conditions in Zimbabwe when we won there in 2017.” said CWI chief selector Desmond Haynes.
West Indies will travel to Zimbabwe to play two Tests at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, with the first Test starting on February 4. Before the start of the Test series, the Kraigg Brathwaite-led side will have a three-day warm-up match against a home team from January 28 to 30 at the Bulawayo Athletic Club.
West Indies Test squad for Zimbabwe tour: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Tagnarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, , Jomel Warrican .
