Kemar Roach ruled out as West Indies announce updated squad for England Tests

Cricket West Indies has announced the updated squad for the upcoming Test series against England National Cricket Team. The touring party has suffered a massive blow ahead of the series as star pacer Kemar Roach has been ruled out of the series.

West Indies will be traveling to England for the three-match Test series in July this year. The first match of the series will be played from 10th July at the Lord's Cricket Ground followed by the second match to be played at Trent Bridge from 18th July. The last game will be played from 26th July at Edgbaston.

The West Indies squad will be captained by Kraigg Brathwaite and fast bowler Alzarri Joesph has been appointed as the vice-captain of the team for the tour. In place of injured Kemar Roach, the team has added St. Kitts & Nevis’ fast bowler, Jeremiah Louis into the squad.

The veteran pacer is undergoing rehabilitation for a knee injury, which he sustained during the County Championship in England. Kemar Roach's absence from the squad for the Test series against England will come as a massive blow as he has been the leading pacer for the team in the longest format of the game for quite a few years now.

Lead Selector of the Cricket West Indies Dr Desmond Haynes talked about the absence of Kemar Roach, saying that the pacer will be a big miss for the team but also claimed that it will be an opportunity for young Jeremiah Louis to make an impact for his team. He stated:

“Kemar’s skill and experience in English conditions will be missed however this opportunity has been long in the making for Jeremiah Louis, he certainly has the skill and experience to make an impact in England.”

Apart from this, Cricket West Indies has also added 19-year-old fast bowler Isai Thorne. He will be joining the team as a development player. The rest of the squad has pretty familiar names in it and they would be keen to win another Test series in England.

Ahead of their tour to the West Indies, they have been training at Tonbridge School to get in the groove for the series. They will also be playing a 3-day warm-up match against the England Lions at Beckenham starting on 4 July, which would be vital for them to get used to the conditions.

West Indies squad for the Test series against England

Here is the West Indies Test squad for the series against England

Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Alick Athanaze, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Zachary McCaskie, Kirk McKenzie, Gudakesh Motie, Jeremiah Louis, Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair.

Here's the schedule of the West Indies tour to England

Wednesday 3 July 2024 - 3-Day Warm-Up Match, Beckenham

Wednesday 10 July 2024 - 1st Test Match, Lord’s

Thursday 18 July 2024- 2nd Test Match, Trent Bridge

Friday 26 July 2024- 3rd Test Match, Edgbaston