The selectors have called up pacer Fidel Edwards, left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie, batting allrounders Dwayne Smith and Nkrumah Bonner and left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin.
Smith and Bonner both performed well at the top of the order in this year’s Caribbean T20, while Santokie was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
Edwards has been effective at the international level since his return from injury. Mathurin was outstanding in his Man-of-the-Match performance on his T20 International debut against England last September.
FULL SQUAD
Darren Sammy (Captain)
Dwayne Bravo (Vice Captain)
Carlton Baugh (Wicket-keeper)
Nkrumah Bonner
Darren Bravo
Johnson Charles
Fidel Edwards
Garey Mathurin
Sunil Narine
Kieron Pollard
Andre Russell
Marlon Samuels
Krishmar Santokie
Dwayne Smith
Speaking at the announcement of the team, Chairman of Selectors Clyde Butts outlined: “We have named a squad with a mixture of experience and youth and we believe they have the quality to defeat the Australians. We have seen some progress in the Digicel ODI Series and we expect that momentum to continue into the Digicel T20s. We also use these matches as part of our continued preparations for the ICC World T20 Championship in Sri Lanka in September. That tournament is not far away and we want to make sure we get ready for that event as well.”
Butts added: “The squad includes a number of three-dimensional players who bring energy and dynamism. They can change gears as the game progresses and give us options as well. We have brought in Dwayne Smith, Krishmar Santokie, Garey Mathurin, Fidel Edwards and young Nkrumah Bonner, from the squad which contested the Digicel ODIs and we expect them to contribute. They have all played for the West Indies in T20s Internationals before and we are well aware of their capabilities.”
