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Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
WEST Indies has announced a 15-member squad that will play against Zimbabwe in two Tests scheduled for Bulawayo early next month.
With both matches set to be played at Queens Sports Club, the first one will be from February 4 to 8 while the last will run from February 12 to 16.
Experienced fast bowler Shannon Gabriel was recalled to the Kraigg Brathwaite-captained Windies side. Before the resumption of the series, the visitors will have a three-day warm-up match against a local side set for January 28 to 30 at Bulawayo Athletic Club (BAC).
“This is the start of the international calendar for 2023 and we will hope to start with a win. We appreciate it won’t be an easy assignment as Zimbabwe, like most other teams in world cricket, play very well on their home soil on pitches that will support their style of play.
“We looked at the conditions we anticipate playing in, and have included two left-arm spinners who didn’t go to Australia in Motie and Warrican. With our fast bowlers, Seales has done extremely well for us since he started back in 2021, but with him unavailable we have decided that Gabriel would be best able to fill that role. He (Gabriel) is an experienced bowler who has been at the international level for over 10 years and has knowledge of the conditions in Zimbabwe when we won there in 2017,” said Cricket West Indies lead selector Desmond Haynes.
The last Test Series between Zimbabwe and the West Indies was also played at Queens Sports Club in October 2017. West Indies won the two-match series 1-0, winning the first contest by 117 runs with the second five-day contest ending in a draw.
West Indies squad: 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, Devon Thomas, Jomel Warrican. – @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter