Holder replaces Ramdin as captain for SL Tests

Jason Holder has replaced Denesh Ramdin as captain of West Indies for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka, which starts on October 14. A WICB media release stated that Holder's appointment "was recommended by the selection panel and endorsed unanimously by the directors during a teleconference meeting on Wednesday."

Clive Lloyd, the head of the the selection committee, believed it was "the right time for a change", and backed the 23-year-old Holder to guide a young West Indies team forward. Holder had also been appointed ODI captain last December, but Lloyd said the selectors didn't want to burden Holder further by giving him the reins even in T20s.

"We expect to get new thinking and new dynamism from him," Lloyd said. "Jason commands respect. He is a fine young man, very intelligent and he seems to get the best from the players because he is a straightforward guy. I think the players will warm to him. He has a young bunch of players and we feel he can guide them in the manner that is required for internationals.

"We do not want to any captain to lead in all three formats just now. It would be quite burdensome on anyone. We think we can have a separate Twenty20 captain."

Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite will be Holder's deputy in Sri Lanka. The squad contains two uncapped players in fast bowler Carlos Brathwaite and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, both of whom play for Barbados. In a like-for-like selection, Warrican replaces Veerasammy Permaul, who was part of West Indies' squad during their home series against Australia. Ramdin retains his place as wicketkeeper.

Lloyd thanked Ramdin for his contributions as Test captain. Ramdin led West Indies in 13 Tests, of which they won four, drew two and lost seven.

"I have spoken to Denesh and he understood the situation and there was no animosity," Lloyd said. "We just want him to perform a little bit better right now, particularly with the bat, and give of his best and support the new captain."

Holder has only played eight Tests so far. He has made 380 runs, with a century and two fifties, at 34.54, and taken 16 wickets at 35.37 with his medium-pace. He took over the ODI captaincy at a similarly inexperienced stage in his 50-over career, with only 21 matches behind him.

West Indies endured a difficult World Cup, which they exited at the quarter-final stage, but Holder showed evidence of his leadership skills during the tournament, shouldering the responsibility of bowling in difficult situations - such as the final over against a rampaging AB de Villiers - and batting with maturity.

In the home Tests that followed, the same qualities came to the fore, particularly with the bat, as shown by a match-saving century against England in Antigua, and an unbeaten 82 against Australia in Jamaica.

West Indies will undergo an eight-day preparatory camp in Barbados from September 20. They are scheduled to land in Sri Lanka on October 1.

West Indies squad: Jason Holder(captain), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice-captain), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajindra Chandrika, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Denesh Ramdin , Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Jomel Warrican