Gabriel, Chase included in WI squad for SA ODIs

Shannon Gabriel could play his first ODI since the 2019 World Cup after being named in West Indies' squad for their upcoming three-match series in South Africa.

Gabriel made his international comeback in West Indies' victory over Zimbabwe in the second Test in Bulawayo last week. With Anderson Phillip and Jayden Seales both injured, Gabriel has been picked to take early wickets after impressing for Trinidad and Tobago in the Regional Super50 Cup in November.

Desmond Haynes, West Indies' lead selector, said: "We have had some injuries to our fast-bowling pool, so therefore we see Gabriel as an ideal fit heading into South Africa, and the surfaces we expect to play on.

"It is felt that we need someone to get those early wickets and he is the kind of bowler that can do that. Judging from his performances in the CG United Super50 Cup, he is potentially a wicket-taking option up front."

Roston Chase also makes a return to the white-ball set-up, having played his most recent ODI against Ireland in January last year. The three-match ODI series, which runs from March 16-21, is West Indies' first in the format since August 2022 and is not part of the World Cup Super League.

The series will be West Indies' first since Shai Hope's permanent appointment as ODI captain last week. Rovman Powell, their new T20I captain, has been named as Hope's deputy.

West Indies have stuck with the core of the squad that crashed out of last year's T20 World Cup before the Super 12 stage for the three-match T20I series in South Africa, which follows the ODIs.

CWI commissioned a review into West Indies' performances at the T20 World Cup after their first-round elimination following defeats to Ireland and Scotland. In a damning report published last month, the three-man panel comprising Brian Lara, Mickey Arthur and Patrick Thompson Jr, a high-court judge, said that West Indies had a "golden opportunity to hit the reset button" ahead of the 2024 edition on home soil.

Yet they have made a solitary change from the World Cup squad: Romario Shepherd, the seam-bowling allrounder, has replaced Evin Lewis. "For the T20Is, we have an experienced squad," Haynes said.

"What we are looking for is to form a cohesive unit and look at the players who we believe can form the nucleus as we build towards doing very well and challenging when we host the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in June 2024."

Kyle Mayers, the allrounder, has been named Powell's vice-captain. Obed McCoy has been included but his selection for the T20Is is subject to medical clearance

Meanwhile, West Indies will come up against Dewald Brevis during their preparations for the two-match Test series against South Africa, which starts at Centurion on February 28.

Brevis, who has never played a first-class game but has long been marked out as a future all-format international, has been named in the South African Invitational XI squad for an unofficial three-day warm-up fixture in Benoni that gets underway on Tuesday.

"The squad is made up of a mix of provincial players that were made available by their respective provincial teams," CSA said in a statement.

SA Invitational XI squad: Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Ruan de Swart, Evan Jones, Wihan Lubbe, Wandile Makwetu, Hlompho Modimokoane, Smangaliso Nhlebela, Thando Ntini, Bryce Parsons, Jiveshan Pillay, Daniel Smith, Codi Yusuf