PORT-OF-SPAIN. Trinidad. Mar 2: Five newcomers were named in an extended West In-jttijbi. ;~* dies squad of 15 announced Monday for the first Cable and Wireless cricket Test against Australia that begins at Queen's Park Oval Friday, reports AP.
Batsmen Suruj Ragoonath, Lincoln Roberts and Dave Joseph and Barbadian fast bowlers Pedro Collins and Corey Collymore are the players with no international experience.
"It is a blend of young cricketers and our most experienced and tested players." chairman of selectors Mike Findlay told reporters at the Trinidad Hilton.
The selectors' options were limited by injuries to batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul (shoulder) and Daren Ganga (back) and bowlers Franklyn Rose and Dinanath Ramnarine (shoulder). Veteran all-rounder Carl Hooper remains in Adelaide. Australia, with his ill new-born son and his wife, Constence.
Trinidadian Ragoonath, a 30-year-old journeyman with 10 years' first-class experience, is the 12th player chosen as opening batsman since the break-up of the famous Gordon Greenidge-Desmond Haynes partnership in 1991.
The other opening position goes to Sherwin Campbell, whose prolific regional form and healthy Test average of 37.02 allows him to add to his 30 Tests. He has been out of favour since being dropped for the fifth Test against England last season, but his 597 runs in six Busta Cup matches are a season high.
There are also recalls for Campbell's Barbadian captain. Roland Holder, Jamaican lefthander Jimy Adams and experienced Trinidadian allrounder Phil Simmons.
Right-hander Holder. 31, played the last of his 10 Tests against England in Antigua a Sear ago. Simmons has spread is 26 Tests over 11 years since his debut in 1988 in Madras, not surprising given his batting average of 22.26 and bowling return of four wickets at a cost of 64.25 each.
Adams returns to the team after missing the ill-fated series in South Africa. He returned home with a finger injury before playing a match. He has struggled for form of late but still averages over 50 in Test cricket and his left-arm spin is an asset.
That trio will contest the final middle order positions with rokkies Roberts and Joseph.
Joseph is a 29-year-old Antiguan with two centuries in the 1999 regional tournament. The powerful right-hander also top-
scored with 64 for the President's XI in the first innings against the Aussies over the weekend.
Roberts. 24. made his maiden first-class century this year and is a hard-hitting right-handed batsman.
Collins and Collymore join Mervyn Dillon and Reon King as youthful support bowlers for the long-serving pace greats Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose.
Left-armer Collins, 22, has the experience of two "A" team tours, to South Africa and in 1998-99 to India and Bangladesh. Collymore is a year younger and in his first year of first-class cricket.
Dillon and King are among six survivors of the disastrous South Africa tour, where the West Indies were swept 5-0 in the Test series and lost the one-day Africa, had stood up to net practice and he was confident that he would be ready for the Test.
Ridley Jacobs, one of the only successes in his debut series in South Africa, retains his spot as wicketkeeper.
THE 15: Brian Lara (captain). Phil Simmons. Suruj Ragoonath. Sherwin Campbell, Roland Holder. Jimmy Aaams. Dave Joseph. Lincoln Roberts, Ridley Jacobs, Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, Mervyn Dillon, Reon King. Pedro Collins. Corey Collymore.