Shannon Gabriel set to be added to West Indies Test squad against England

Shannon Gabriel looks set to be added to West Indies' Test squad for the series against England.

Gabriel, who was a key player in West Indies' victory over England in the Caribbean, was only named as part of the reserve squad for the tour as he was seeking to prove his fitness following an ankle injury.

But Phil Simmons, West Indies' head coach, suggested Gabriel was now "bowling as fast as I've seen him for while" and hinted that, if he came through the warm-up games, he was highly likely to be added to the 14-man Test squad.

"Yes, there is a possibility of Shannon Gabriel joining the touring party," Simmons said. "He's one of West Indies' prominent fast bowlers coming back from injury and we just had to make sure that he was fit enough to work through the tour.

"The last week he's been at full tilt and he looks fit. He looks good. He's bowling as fast as I've seen him for a while so he's ready and close enough to the Test match.

"When leaving home 14 were named in the squad. Because of Shannon coming back from his injury, we had to let him get a little bit further and see how he is and then we'll decide whether to make it a 15-member squad. After that, injuries might be the cause for changes.

"The top three bowlers speak for themselves. Jason Holder is the number one ranked all-rounder in the world in Test cricket, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel are high up on that fast bowling list in the ICC rankings. That shows you there's quality there."

West Indies start their first warm-up game - a three-day affair - on Tuesday. While that inter-squad match may feature teams of more than 11 players and could see some flexibility around conventional playing arrangements, their next game will be a four-day, first-class match which looks set to pit the first choice Test team against the reserves.

While Simmons was understandably cautious about committing to a team at this stage, he did hint that fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and spin-bowling all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall could also feature. Both venues for the series - the Ageas Bowl in Southampton and Emirates Old Trafford - usually provide some assistance for spinners in Test cricket and, in the likes of Jason Holder, Shane Dowrich and Roston Chase, West Indies have the all-round options which may allow them to squeeze an extra bowler in if required.

"We haven't seen what the Ageas Bowl is like," Simmons said. "When we see that, we will know what our combination will be like.

"But at this stage, you can say that Rakheem will be a part. He got 10 wickets against Afghanistan in our last Test. So you can say he'll be a part if we go in with two spinners and three fast bowlers or four and one.

"Alzarri Joseph is going to be a big hit on this tour."

Simmons confirmed the entire squad, including the reserves, were currently considered fit with Jason Holder having recovered from "a little thing with his ankle".

"He seems to be all right," Simmons said. "He batted and bowled today. He could bat No. 6; Shane Dowrich could bat No. 6. The warm-up games will help us decide how we structure the batting. There are possibilities in different directions."