Gros Islet – West Indies won the toss and chose to bat against South Africa on the first day of the first Test at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground (DSCG).
The Windies omitted Alzarri Joseph and Kieran Powell from their final 11, handing recalls to Shai Hope, who will open the batting, and Roston Chase, as well as a debut cap to former West Indies Under-19 pacer, Jayden Seales.
A 19-year-old from Trinidad & Tobago, Seales becomes the 326th player to play a Test for the Caribbean side, having played only one first-class wicket in a solitary first-class match.
The South Africans have excluded Temba Bavuma, Sarel Erwee, Beuran Hendricks, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Tabraiz Shamsi, Prenelan Subrayen, Lizaad Williams from their final 11.
West Indies are currently ranked sixth in the ICC World Test Rankings and South Africa are ranked seventh.
The Windies have never won a Test series against the Proteas, winning only three of the 28 Tests the two side have played, since the visitors were readmitted to the international game almost 30 years ago.
Overall, the Caribbean side have lost three Test series on home soil and four in South Africa.
The Test is the first of two that the teams will be playing at the DSCG for the Vivian Richards Trophy. The second starts on Friday, June 18.
Teams:
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Shai Hope, Nkrumah Bonner, Kyle Mayers, Jermaine Blackwood, Joshua da Silva (wicketkeeper), Jason Holder, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.
South Africa: Dean Elgar (captain), Aiden Markram, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Keshav Maharaj, Wiann Mulder, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje.
Umpires: Gregory Brathwaite, Joel Wilson.
TV umpire: Leslie Reifer Jr.
Match referee: Sir Richie Richardson.
Reserve umpire: Nigel Duguid.
(AR)
