CWI selects 24 players for Best v Best match-up, ahead of Sri Lanka tour

The West Indies Test team will continue preparations for next month’s tour of Sri Lanka with two three-day fixtures in a ‘Best v Best’ match-up of the top red ball players in the region.

The teams are led by Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood and will do battle at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua from 27-29 October and 1-3 November. The West Indies subsequently depart for Sri Lanka on 6 November.

Cricket West Indies lead selector Roger Harper explained the importance of the upcoming warm-up matches.

“These Best v Best matches are a critical part of the Test team’s preparation for the series in Sri Lanka,” Harper told the CWI Media. “For a number of players, it will be the only serious red ball cricket they will have since the Betway Test series against Pakistan and prior to going on this tour. 

“So, it helps to get them back into the groove of the red ball format and gives the Selection Panel an indication of the players’ readiness for the tour.”

Squad A: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Shamarh Brooks, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Jayden Seales, Preston McSween, Nial Smith and Jeremy Solozano.

Squad B: Jermaine Blackwood (captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Kavem Hodge, Alzarri Joseph, Imran Khan, Shayne Moseley, Kieran Powell, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican.

At present, West Indies are seventh in the ICC Test rankings behind New Zealand, India, Australia, England, Pakistan and South Africa respectively but ahead of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

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