Jamaican batsman Brenton Parchment was the only player without Test experience named in the 15-man West Indies squad for three Tests and five one-day internationals in South Africa from next month.
A slim right-handed opener, Parchment is a former West Indies under-19 captain and A team representative. He is on his first senior assignment with West Indies in Zimbabwe for a five one-dayers preceding the South African tour.
Fellow Jamaican Chris Gayle was retained as captain on Tuesday with Ramnaresh Sarwan, who led the team on last summer’s tour of England, still sidelined by a foot injury.
Pedro Collins, a left-arm fast bowler, makes another comeback despite having signed a Kolpak deal to play with English county side Surrey in 2008.
At 31, he is the most experienced of a four-man pace contingent that also includes his half-brother Fidel Edwards and Jamaican pair Daren Powell and Jerome Taylor.
Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy are two seam bowling allrounders.
Bravo, just three and a half years into his international career, serves as vice-captain to Gayle.
The selectors included Rawl Lewis, a 33-year-old who boasts the most expensive average in Test history, as the only specialist spinner. The legspinner, who toured South Africa in 1998 and 1999, has taken one wicket for 388 in four Tests since 1997.
There are two changes to the 15-man team currently in Zimbabwe with fast bowler Ravi Rampaul replaced by Collins and the experienced Daren Ganga included instead of Narsingh Deonarine.
The tour of South Africa begins on December 14 and concludes on February 3. – Sapa-AP
Team:
West Indies: Chris Gayle (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Fidel Edwards, Daren Ganga, Rawl Lewis, Runako Morton, Brenton Parchment, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor.