Chanderpaul invited for practice match

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been named in a group of 15 players who will play a two-day practice game at the Demerara Cricket Ground in Georgetown on May 8 and 9, ahead of West Indies' Test series against Pakistan.

Chanderpaul has been involved in a war of words with the WICB and the team management over the past week, but has still been invited to play the game. He is likely to make the squad for the first Test at Providence from May 16.

Chanderpaul's involvement in this practice game, though, means he will not be able to play the match between Guyana and the Pakistanis, which will take place on the same dates at Bourda. Having been dropped for the one-day series, Chanderpaul had said in an interview with local radio station Line and Length that he was keen to play against Pakistan before the Test series in order to have a look at their bowling.

Also among the fifteen players called up for the practice game are fast bowler Fidel Edwards and uncapped 18-year-old batsman Kraigg Brathwaite. Edwards has not played for West Indies since 2009, when he suffered a long-term injury. Brathwaite has had an impressive few months of first-class cricket, which was followed by his unbeaten 168 for West Indies Under-19s against Australia U-19s last month.

Fifteen players: Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Brendan Nash, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith.