West Indies Squad for NZ Tour

There are a few changes to the West Indies squad for the forthcoming tour to New Zealand from that which toured Australia in late last year. Absent are Corey Collymore (injury), Marlon Samuels, Tino Best and Jermaine Lawson, while Daren Ganga makes a comeback to the team, along with Rawl Lewis, Jerome Taylor and Runako Morton, with Deighton Butler selected just for the ODIs.

Like Butler, Wavell Hinds will be heading home after the ODI series, with Chris Gayle and Devon Smith being the preferred test opening partnership.

Star batsman Brian Lara will take part only in the tests, reducing his workload in order to prolong his record-breaking test career.

There was some speculation over who would be chosen as the spinner for the tour, that role in the end being given to 31 year old Lewis, who has taken just one wicket in three tests to date.

Batsman Morton has had a controversial career so far, having been expelled from the Academy in 2001 and pulling out of the 2002 Champions Trophy squad. However, he has been given another chance in this tour to live up to his obvious talent.

The tour lasts from February 16 to March 29.

Test squad (ODI replacement in brackets)
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith (Wavell Hinds), Daren Ganga, Brian Lara (excluded for ODIs), Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Denesh Ramdin, Rawl Lewis, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards, Daren Powell (Deighton Butler).