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Chris Gayle - Source: Reuters -
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West Indies have named Chris Gayle as captain for the three-test
tour of Australia starting on November 18 with the Caribbean side
anxious to put the tribulations of the recent players' strike
behind them.
Gayle, who was skipper before the dispute, recently expressed his
desire to take on the role again but his appointment was by no
means guaranteed.
The West Indies Cricket Board also announced on Monday that David
Williams would be the team coach for the tour and former pace
bowler Joel Garner would take the role of team manager.
Australian John Dyson had coached West Indies up until the recent
Champions Trophy when he was replaced by Williams.
With all the senior players making themselves available for the
tour, the squad includes top performers such as Dwayne Bravo and
Shivnarine Chanderpaul but also features some fresh faces.
Trinidad and Tobago's highly rated opening batsman Adrian Barath,
who was poised for his first test before the strike, is named in
the squad and is likely to be given a chance to stake his claim as
Gayle's opening partner.
Barath, 19, who averages 46 in first class cricket, scored a
century against England in a tour game in January but has yet to
appear in a Test.
Batsman Travis Dowlin, one of the players who gained a chance due
to the dispute between the players and the board which led to a
boycott of the Bangladesh home series in July, is retained in the
side along with bowlers Gavin Tonge and Kemar Roach who also
featured during the strike.
Trinidad's swing bowler Ravi Rampaul is also in the squad which is
without the injured opening bowler Fidel Edwards, who is sidelined
with a knee problem.
Guyana batsman Narsingh Deonarine is back over four years after the
last of his four Test appearances while middle-order batsman
Brendan Nash will have a chance to play against the country of his
birth.
West Indies: Chris Gayle (captain), Adrian Barath,
Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh
Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi
Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome
Taylor, Gavin Tonge.
