Joseph to lead West Indies A

Sylvester Joseph will lead the West Indies A team against England A in the first unofficial Test starting next Friday at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

The 27-year-old right-hander is one of eight Test players named in the 13-man squad, which includes one newcomer Dale Richards, the Barbados opening batsman . Richards has been included after a season that saw him garner 334 runs at an average of 41.75 in the preliminary phase of the Carib Beer Series.

Marlon Samuels, who travelled to Australia with the senior team last year but was overlooked for the New Zealand tour, has been included. Ryan Hinds, whose last Test came against South Africa in the home series in April last year, has been rewarded for his heavy scoring in the regional four-day tournament which resulted in an aggregate of 570 runs. His team-mate Tino Best, discarded by Barbados during the Carib Beer Series, has been named along with the out-of-sorts Jamaican fast bowler Jermaine Lawson.

England A were due to arrive in Antigua yesterday for a three-day game against the national side before facing West Indies A in the first four-day Test starting February 24. The second Test will bowl off at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia from March 3-6 followed by the first two one-day matches of the five-game series at the same venue on March 9 and 11.

The third one-dayer will be played at the 3Ws Oval, UWI Cave Hill Campus on March 14 with the last two matches being contested at the Windward Cricket Club on March 17 and 19.

West Indies A Sylvester Joseph (capt), Lendl Simmons, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Ryan Hinds, Narsingh Deonarine, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh Jr., Richard Kelly, Dave Mohammed, Tino Best, Jermaine Lawson, Andrew Richardson, Dale Richards.