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West Indies men’s coach Daren Sammy said his squad is raring and ready to go for their three-match Test series against Australia which bowls off on June 25 with the first Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados.
The team, which will be led by captain Roston Chase for the first time, concluded a ten-day training camp in Barbados on June 20.
“I’m really happy with what I saw during this camp. We started on June 11 and the energy and effort the guys have put it in. If it’s one phrase I always use, ‘you don’t need talent to give off effort.’
The effort and the attention to detail that have been going on is really good,” Sammy told Cricket West Indies media.
“We know what challenges we face, but we went in their backyard and drew a series (in January 2024). It’s a culture we’re trying to build to make home a fortress. What I’ve seen over the last ten to 11 days here in the camp tells me that we will be ready. We’re ready for the first Test at Kensington.”
Sammy took over the mantle as head coach in April, with Chase being appointed as the new Test captain on May 16. Chase, 33, takes over the captaincy from his Barbadian countryman Kraigg Brathwaite who is currently sitting on 98 Tests. Brathwaite is one of at least four players who will be vying for a spot atop the West Indies batting order, with white-ball captain Shai Hope also being an option to Sammy as he tries to find the right balance in the Windies team.
“The squad we’ve selected, it was well thought out based on the roles we have to play at this international level to be successful. It was all specific,” Sammy said.
“We targeted specific sessions and how we want to go about doing things. The way the guys responded (was great). We need to be able to take 20 wickets in a Test match to win and we need to be able to bat at least 120 overs in the first innings as well.”
Back in January, the Windies battled back in Multan to get a 1-1 series draw with Pakistan. Meanwhile, in their last home series in December, they were made to settle for a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh who got a 101-run win in the second Test in Jamaica. West Indies failed to get beyond the 200-run mark in three of the four innings against Bangladesh.
The Windies last got a Test match win against Australia on Caribbean soil in 2003, while their last Test series win over the Aussies on home territory came in 1991.
With his team coming off a rough white-ball tour of the UK which included 3-0 losses to England in both the One-day International and Twenty/20 formats, Sammy said his red-ball squad cannot be counted out.
“We wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t train the way we train and plan the way we plan if we were not confident that we could go out and win cricket matches.
“And that’s what it’s all about – building that culture, being clear and communicating well and having that confidence because you will need that when you compete against the top teams in the world,” he said. “When we looked at the last Test Championships and the stuff we did and moving into this Test Championship cycle and building for the future. We too have a brand we want to play and the personnel that we have selected (in order) to execute (it).”
The Aussies are coming off a five-wicket loss to South Africa in the World Test Championship final last week. Experienced top-order batsman Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped for the first Test, while Steve Smith will also miss the first Test after suffering a finger injury in the recent match against South Africa.
West Indies’ 16-man squad for Australia Tests:

Roston Chase (captain), Jomel Warrican (vice-captain), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales.
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