The 22-year-old right-arm fast bowler Sherman Lewis has been included in the Windies Test squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against the hosts India after Alzarri Joseph has been ruled out.
It is the maiden international call-up for the young right-arm fast bowler Sherman Lewis. Lewis has picked up 49 wickets in 17 first-class games with the average of 26.08. He impressed in the 2017/18 West Indies four-day Championship where he finished as the eighth most wicket-taker in the tournament. The Windward Islands’ pacer bowled in 18 innings (10 matches) in that tournament where he picked up 30 wickets with the average of 21.70.
During the Windies A tour of England in this June-July, Lewis featured in the List A tri-series (England Lions, Windies A and India A) and in the first-class series against India A.
In the first unofficial Test against India A at The Kent County Cricket Ground (Beckenham), which resulted in a draw, Lewis performed impressively with the ball in hand. In the first innings, he was the best bowler for Windies A with the figure of 11.1-2-35-4 as India A was bundled out for just 133 runs. In the third innings of the game, Lewis again bagged four wickets with the bowling figure of 24-1-130-4.
The 21-year-old right-arm pacer Alzarri Joseph suffered a stress fracture in November, last year. Though he featured in the recent international home series against Bangladesh and in the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2018), he is not travelling to India now due to continuing his rehabilitation process to gain full fitness.
The young player recently underwent two fitness tests where a CWI medical panel has recommended that he be “allowed to continue his rehabilitation to full fitness for international competitions.”
The two-match Test series between the hosts India and the visitors’ Windies are going to begin from October 4. After that Test series, Windies will play five-match bilateral ODI series and three-match bilateral T20I series against the hosts India.
Windies full Test squad for the 2018/19 India tour: Jason Holder (c), Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Sherman Lewis, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach and Jomel Warrican.
