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Twenty-four-year-old off-spinning allrounder Kevin Sinclair was named in the West Indies team for the second and final Test of the Cycle Pure Agarbathi Series against India, which bowls off at the Queen’s Park oval in Port of Spain on Thursday.
Sinclair replaces allrounder Raymon Reifer, who remains in the squad as cover in case of injury.
India won the First Test last week by an innings and 141 runs in Roseau, Dominica. Reifer batted at number three for the West Indies and returned scores of 2 and 11 while he bowled just 14 overs for 16 runs.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) lead selector Desmond Haynes did not offer any explanation for the change.
Sinclair is uncapped at Test level, although the CWI Media described him as “among the leading players in the West Indies Championship four-day first-class competition earlier this year”.
He also had “a significant role with bat and ball” in the West Indies “A” Team’s series win in Bangladesh.
Sinclair has so far played 18 first-class matches with 54 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls, at an average of 23.98 each. He has 756 runs with the bat, inclusive of six half centuries, at an average of 29.
Thursday’s fixture marks the 100th Test match between West Indies and India, since the two teams first met at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi in 1948.
(West Indies Test squad)
Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice-captain), Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kirk McKenzie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Jomel Warrican.
Traveling Reserves: Tevin Imlach, Akeem Jordan.
Standby: Raymon Reifer.
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