St. John's [Antigua], June 11 (ANI): West Indies unveiled its 16-player squad that will compete for the coveted Sir Frank Worrell Trophy in the upcoming three home Tests against Australia, which is scheduled to kick off on June 25th at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The series will be critical for both sides, considering that the three Tests will mark the beginning of their World Test Championship 2025-2027 cycle. West Indies' squad is emitting signs of a fresh start as several changes have been made to the team that last featured in the drawn series against Pakistan earlier this year.

John Campbell has returned to the squad for the first time since 2022, bolstering the options at the top of the order. He earned his call-up after three years courtesy of his prolific domestic season, which included three centuries.

Along with Campbell, Keacy Carty has been recalled to the Test fold after his stint in Pakistan. The decision stems from his prolific form with the bat across all formats. Last month, the 28-year-old hammered two centuries in the ODIs against Ireland and finished as the highest run-getter for the Men in Maroon in the three 50-over fixtures in England.

West Indies white-ball captain Shai Hope has returned to red-ball cricket for the first time since 2021. Brandon King, his deputy in ODI format, earned a maiden call-up along with Kevlon Anderson.

CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe expressed that the selections for the challenge against the Baggy Greens were made in line with the team's commitment to establish an execution-driven identity in Test cricket. He affirmed that consistency in batting output and a dynamic bowling attack were key in the overall assessment.

'The start of the Test Championship Cycle is critical to building positive momentum as we strive to work our way up the rankings. Beginning with a strong showing against a team like Australia would be ideal in our quest to bring West Indies back to the helm of Test Cricket,' Bascombe said in a statement released by CWI.

'It was imperative that we sought to put a squad together that was well equipped, in both and the batting and bowling departments, to manage the ebbs and flows of this format of the game, while possessing the ability to apply pressure in key phases, through disciplined, purposeful play,' he added.

Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, and Shamar Joseph will headline the fast-bowling attack for the hosts. Additionally, Johann Layne, a 21-year-old product of the West Indies Academy, who scalped 63 first-class wickets in 17 matches, along with Anderson Phillip, who recently dazzled with a 5-wicket haul for West Indies A against South Africa A, have been called up to provide reinforcement.

Skipper Roston Chase and his deputy Jomel Warrican will handle spin responsibilities. Despite being considered, veteran pacer Kemar Roach has not been included and has been duly informed. Apart from Roach, Gudakesh Motie, Kavem Hodge, Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva, Amir Jangoo, and Kevin Sinclair have been dropped from the series.

While asking for patience from the fans towards the players, head coach Darren Sammy declared they can look forward to an exciting style over the series.

'I am truly looking forward to this series because we want to start off strongly and make our home turf a fortress during this cycle while having our passionate and proud fans behind us. The matches will be challenging, but I believe in this core of players, and they are eager to wear the maroon and make our fans happy,' he said.

West Indies Test Squad for Series Against Australia: Roston Chase (Captain), Jomel Warrican (Vice Captain), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales. (ANI)