WI announce second-string squad for B'desh series

St John's (Antigua):

The West Indies have picked a second-string squad, which include nine uncapped cricketers, for the first of the two-Test series against Bangladesh following a boycott by the country's players' association.

West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) on Wednesday decided to boycott the home Test and ODI series against Bangladesh after a long-pending and bitter contractual row with the cricket board remained unresolved.

Left-hand batsman Floyd Reifer, who played last of his four Tests in 1999 and now plays for the Combined Colleges and Campus team in domestic tournaments, was named captain of the side.

All-rounder Darren Sammy, who was in the West Indies' World Twenty20 squad, has been appointed Reifer's deputy as the team arrived here and trained at the Arnos Vale Ground yesterday, a cricket website reported.

Fast bowler Tino Best, who played for a year in 'rebel' Indian Cricket League, has also been called up as was Kemar Roach, who played two ODIs and one Twenty20 international.

The uncapped members of the squad include Dale Richards and Kraigg Brathwaite (both from Barbados), Combined Colleges and Campuses' Ryan Austin, Chadwick Walton, Omar Phillips and Kevin McClean, Andre Creary of Jamaica, Guyana's Travis Dowlin and Grenada's Nelon Pascal.

Richards, who closely missed out on Test debut earlier this year, and Pascal were part of the squad that toured England for a series before the World T20.

Following the Test series, the visitors will also play a three-match ODI series and a one-off T20 match.

Squad:

Floyd Reifer (cap), Omar Phillips, Dale Richards, Travis Dowlin, Chadwick Walton (wk), Darren Sammy, Kemar Roach, Ryan Austin, Tino Best, Kevin McClean, Nelon Pascal, Andre Creary, Nikita Miller, Kraigg Brathwaite, David Bernard.