Samuels named as Sarwan's replacement

Marlon Samuels: called up as Ramnaresh Sarwan's replacement © Getty Images

The Jamaican batsman, Marlon Samuels, has been drafted into the West Indian squad as a replacement for their injured captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was forced out of the tour after damaging his shoulder in a fielding accident at Headingley last week.

Samuels, 26, was surprisingly overlooked for the original squad, after featuring in last month's World Cup, where he made 63 in the opening match against Pakistan, and 51 in the narrow one-wicket defeat against England at Bridgetown.

In Tests, however, the big-hitting Samuels has consistently underperformed, averaging just 28.21 from 23 matches. His solitary century came against India in Kolkata five years ago, although in the absence of such big names as Sarwan and Brian Lara, the selectors hope that he can finally fulfil his promise.

The captaincy, meanwhile, is set to pass to Daren Ganga, who deputised at Headingley after Sarwan had damaged his AC joint after landing heavily while trying to prevent a boundary.

In the absence of their captain, West Indies lost the Headingley Test by a record margin of an innings and 283 runs, thanks to a career-best 226 from Kevin Pietersen, and Ryan Sidebottom's eight-wicket haul. Their next match, a three-day fixture against MCC in Durham, gets underway on Friday, before the third Test at Old Trafford begins on June 7.