First-Class Counties Select XI 15 for 0 trail West Indies 339 (Hodge 112, Athanaze 74, McKenzie 73, Louis 50, Ahmed 4-48, Turner 4-60) by 324 runs
Fast bowler Shamar Joseph and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie were late to link up with the West Indies Test squad in England after their flight from Guyana was cancelled because of Hurricane Beryl, which has left the Caribbean in distress over the past few days. Shamar and Motie, subsequently, were absent from the visitors’ line-up for the three-day warm-up game against the First Class Counties XI, which started in Beckenham from Wednesday.
It is understood that Motie landed in London later in the day, while Shamar will arrive on Friday. This means they will be good to go for the first Test, which starts at Lord’s on July 10.
Shamar had grabbed the headlines in January after a fantastic spell to stun Australia in the Brisbane Test and help West Indies draw the two-match series 1-1. He is expected to play a key role for West Indies in England too, as part of a fast-bowling unit which will be led by Alzarri Joseph after Kemar Roach pulled out due to injury recently. Jayden Seales is likely to be the third fast bowler West Indies utilise in the three-match series, keeping in mind the strong form he has displayed in the second division of county cricket where he is among the leading wicket-takers with 24 wickets in six matches at an average of 24.25 including two five-fors.
July might be summer in England but Wednesday in Beckenham was overcast and windy, forcing both locals and visitors to put on their hoodies and tuck their hands into their pockets. The nippy weather, though, didn’t have any impact on the West Indians: on the back of a spirited 112 from Kavem Hodge and half-centuries from Alick Athanaze, Kirk McKenzie and Mikyle Louis, they posted 339 in their first innings after electing to bat in front of 1200-odd fans, including a healthy Caribbean contingent.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo
