Ojay Shields has earned his maiden call-up to the West Indies 15-member Test squad for the three-match series against New Zealand, set to begin next month.
Shields’ inclusion comes at a crucial time for the team. With frontline pacers Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph sidelined due to injuries, Shields joins veteran Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales to form a young and largely inexperienced pace attack.
The Jamaican fast bowler has played 16 first class matches and taken 34 wickets.
Middle-order batsman Kavem Hodge has also been recalled to the side. Hodge, who last featured in a Test match for the Windies against Pakistan in early January, has played 11 Tests and scored 556 runs at an average of 25.27.
Those traveling from the Caribbean joined the rest of the squad in New Zealand on November 20, giving them considerable time to become acclimatised and take part in a two-day warm-up match against a New Zealand XI in Lincoln, Christchurch ahead of the Test series.
CWI’s Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe, said all efforts had been made to ensure the squad was one of the best-prepared groups for an away tour to New Zealand.
“New Zealand has traditionally been one of the toughest places for any touring side, which is why strong emphasis has been placed on targeted preparation. The recent high-performance camp here in Antigua was designed to replicate, as closely as possible, the conditions we expect to face, particularly the pace-friendly surfaces,” he said.
“That level of intentional preparation, combined with the advantage of several squad members already in New Zealand for the white-ball portion of the tour gaining valuable time to acclimate, means this group goes into this series as well-prepared as any West Indies squad to tour there in recent years.”
The series forms part of the 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship and will be the West Indies’ final fixture for 2025.
West Indies Test Squad to New Zealand:
Roston Chase (Captain)
Jomel Warrican (Vice- Captain)
Alick Athanaze
John Campbell
Tagenarine Chanderpaul
Justin Greaves
Kavem Hodge
Shai Hope
Tevin Imlach
Brandon King
Johann Layne
Anderson Phillip
Kemar Roach
Jayden Seales
Ojay Shields
Team Management Unit (TMU)
Head Coach: Daren Sammy
Manager: Rawl Lewis
Assistant Coach (Batting): Floyd Reifer
Assistant Coach (Bowling): Ravi Rampaul
Assistant Coach (Fielding): Rayon Griffith
Physiotherapist: Dr Denis Byam
Mental Skills/Performance Coach: Krisnan Hurdle
Strength & Conditioning Coach: Darc Browne
Massage Therapist: Fitzbert Alleyne
Performance Analyst: Avenesh Seetaram
Content & Media Officer: Jerome Foster
FULL TOUR SCHEDULE (Caribbean Time)
Two-Day Warm-Up Match: November 25-26, Lincoln, Christchurch
1st Test: December 1-5 – Hagley Oval, Christchurch @6pm AST/5pm in Jamaica
2nd Test: December 9-13 – Basin Reserve, Wellington @6pm AST/5pm in Jamaica
3rd Test: December 17- 21 – Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui @6pm AST/5pm in Jamaica.
(CMC/CWI)
The post Shields earns maiden call-up as WI gear up for NZ tests appeared first on Barbados Today.