Ramnaresh Sarwan will lead the Windies in Chris Gayle's absence.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies will assemble in Jamaica on Sunday to fine tune preparations for the opening Test of the three-match series against Australia, which bowls off Thursday at Sabina Park in Jamaica.

 

West Indies selectors on Friday announced a 14-man squad which will travel to Jamaica from Antigua, where a 16-man training squad have been engaged in a week-long camp.

 

The squad will play the final day of a two-day warm-up match against the Antigua & Barbuda Pro Team on Saturday, before leaving for Jamaica the following day.

 

Ramnaresh Sarwan has been named as captain of the squad after injury forced regular skipper Chris Gayle out of the squad.

 

Gayle is still suffering from a groin injury sustained the final One-Day International of the three-match series against Sri Lanka last month.

 

Batsmen Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, both of whom have been playing in the Indian Premier League, have left India and are due to join the team in Jamaica on Sunday.

 

All-rounder Dwayne Bravo, named as the team’s vice-captain, played for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL on Friday and is also scheduled to leave India shortly to join the team in Jamaica.

 

There are no surprises in the squad though batsman Runako Morton and Brenton Parchment, who missed out against the Sri Lankans, have been included.

 

Morton, who scored heavily in the latter stages of the Carib Cup competition, makes a return to the squad and will be joined by Parchment, who played one Test against South Africa earlier this year in January.

 

After a wretched tour of South Africa, the right-handed Morton plundered 414 runs in three Carib Cup matches to keep himself in the selectors’ memory.

 

The 25-year old Parchment, in contrast, managed just 107 runs from his three matches for Jamaica, after returning from South Africa.

 

Fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who bowled impressively against Sri Lanka, will once again lead the attack with support from fellow pacers Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards.

 

Trinidadian off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth has been named in the squad along with lanky Barbadian left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn who made his debut against Sri Lanka in March.

 

CMC kp/08