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West Indies selectors trust familiar names

BRIDGETOWN: West Indies's cricket selectors began life without Brian Lara on Wednesday by trusting familiar names for the 15-man Test squad to tour England starting next week.

The team, led by the 26-year-old batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan, includes most of the senior players who were part of the Caribbean side's disappointing showing in the World Cup at home, despite other modest performances beforehand.

Marlon Samuels, the right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner, was the major omission from the World Cup squad. There was no room for a specialist spinner with five fast bowlers chosen.

"We are looking towards the future and we are looking to rebuild, but we feel that it is wrong to totally change and go that route at this stage," convenor of selectors, Gordon Greenidge, said. "We wish to compete creditably rather than just go through what one might consider the rebuilding process. "Some may say, `Well, you're going to lose anyway,' but we don't feel (change is) the method because that could also be a downtrend of what we're trying to achieve here.

"We don't want to have players totally out of their depths. We want to know whether we can compete even if we do not win the series, at least give a good account of ourselves."

David Moore replaced Bennett King as coach, after King resigned following the World Cup. Moore, another Australian, was King's assistant and recommended by King.

Batting line-up

Sarwan will lean on long-serving left-handers Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle and improving opener Daren Ganga to help prop up the batting.

"It's an opportunity for us as younger players to show our skills and assert ourselves," Sarwan said.

"It is crucially important that we play together as a team. It cannot be a one-man show and I hope the players will be able to mature as a team and as individuals, and represent the West Indies in a meaningful way."

Devon Smith, Sylvester Joseph and Runako Morton, for so long fringe players, have been given chances to establish a permanent place in the batting line-up now that Lara, who turned 38 on Wednesday, has retired.

Dwayne Bravo is the incumbent all-rounder, while Darren Sammy, of similar ilk, has earned a recall after sound regional performances.

Denesh Ramdin retains the wicketkeeper's position.

Bowling options

Daren Powell, Corey Collymore and Jerome Taylor remain the leading bowling trio, while Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul complete the line-up.

The 22-year-old Rampaul returns to the side for the first time since injuries halted his international career on the West Indies's last tour of the United Kingdom three years ago.

Edwards, once the 145kph spearhead of the attack, is given another chance despite being dropped during West Indies's last Test series in Pakistan last November.

Edwards's brother Pedro Collins, a left-arm swing bowler, and Jamaican Jermaine Lawson, miss out.

"We feel we have a good mix and we're hoping that this mix here would start the ball rolling as far as the redevelopment or the redefining of West Indies cricket for the future is concerned," Greenidge said.

West Indies is scheduled to play four Tests at the Lord's (May 17-21), Headingley (May 25-29), Old Trafford (June 7-11) and Riverside ground (June 15-19). A separate squad will be named for the three ODIs and two Twenty20s.

The Test squad: Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt.), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Daren Ganga, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Runako Morton, Sylvester Joseph, Darren Sammy, Denesh Ramdin, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Ravi Rampaul. — AP

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