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The West Indies have been dealt a significant blow ahead of its Test tour of Australia, with Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers choosing to prioritise domestic T20 cricket over the long format.
Seven uncapped players have been unveiled in the West Indies side with Kraigg Brathwaite to captain again.
Zachary McCaskie, Tevin Imlach, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Kevin Sinclair, Akeem Jordan and Shamar Joseph will all have an opportunity to debut during Tests in Adelaide and Brisbane.
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Holder has opted to play in the ILT20 in the UAE instead of the January series, but hasn’t ruled out playing Test cricket in the future.
The all-rounder is instead putting his focus on a home T20 World Cup, with the event to be played in the United States and West Indies next year.
“By no means is this me turning my back on Test cricket,” Holder told ESPNcricinfo.
“It’s not curtains for me in Test cricket by any means. It’s my first time going through something like this and I felt that it was necessary to be as honest and as open with Cricket West Indies as I possibly can. It was a very difficult decision. I just feel as though this is the right cricketing decision for me at this time. It was a difficult one.
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“But as much as I love Test cricket, I want to give myself the best chance of playing in that World Cup. I felt it was probably best to prioritise and focus on playing as much T20 cricket leading up to that as possible. I will probably sleep a little bit better knowing that I’ve given myself the best opportunity to do that.”
West Indies chief selector Desmond Haynes was disappointed by the absence of his key players but optimistic his young squad could challenge for the Frank Worrell Trophy.
“The squad has been affected by the unavailability of some key players. However, we have had a very strong red-ball program being run over the past year, which has unearthed significant talent throughout the region,” he said.
“The selected players have passed each test given to them and must now be given the opportunity to showcase their skills in the Test arena. Australia away is always a challenge, but we are confident in our team.”
The first Test, to be held at Adelaide Oval, will begin on January 17.
West Indies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua DaSilva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie
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