Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo will not return to the West Indies squad for the first two one-day internationals against Zimbabwe.
Injured pair ruled out of first two ODIs against Zimbabwe
Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo will not return to the West Indies squad for the first two one-day internationals against Zimbabwe.
The pair have reportedly been excluded from the 14-man squad because team management want them to prove their fitness before they are cleared to play.
Sarwan has been out of action for the last three months after sustaining a back injury on the Test tour of Australia last December.
However, the hundred he secured for his native Guyana against Windward Islands in a domestic first-class match over the weekend suggests his recovery is on track.
Bravo was sidelined with a thumb injury following the Twenty20 Big Bash in Australia and was consequently ruled out of the recent ODIs and T20Is there.
The all-rounder practised with West Indies in his native Trinidad ahead of Sunday's Twenty20 international match against Zimbabwe, but admits he would prefer to get some club matches under his belt before making his international comeback.
Dismal
West Indies have been plagued by injuries over the last three months, contributing to their dismal performance in Australia, where they were defeated in four of five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals.
Fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards are absent from the squad due to back injuries, with Taylor a possibility to return for the home series against South Africa in the middle of the year, while Edwards is likely to miss the rest of the year after undergoing surgery.
Captain and talismanic opener Chris Gayle returns to the squad after missing the T20I against Zimbabwe on compassionate grounds to visit his ill mother.
West Indies will welcome the skipper's return following their 26-run defeat to the African side on Sunday.
Narsingh Deonarine has been called up to replace fellow left-hander Darren Bravo in the only change to the squad that played in the T20I.
The first ODI gets underway on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium, with the second match scheduled for the same venue on Saturday.
West Indies: Chris Gayle (captain), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Dwayne Smith.
