Athanaze, Jordan in Test side for South Africa

ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

Uncapped Alick Athanaze and Akeem Jordan were yesterday named in a West 15-man squad for the two-Test tour of South Africa starting at month end.

Both players were leading performers in the first two rounds of the Regional First Class Championship and replace left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican and batsman Nkrumah Bonner, who have been dropped from the squad which toured Zimbabwe.

Athanaze, 24, a left-handed batsman with 22 first-class matches, gathered 244 runs at an average of 61 for Windward Islands Volcanoes, following up on the 222 runs he scored last season.

More significantly, he impressed with a hundred in the second round last week, pummeling a fine 141 against Guyana Harpy Eagles.

"Athanaze is one of the young players who we have invested in, and he played well in the 'A Team' and CWI President's XI," said chief selectore Desmond Haynes. "He showed great promise in the CG United Super50 last year and then got his first hundred in the West Indies Championship last week."

Jordan, meanwhile, a 28-year-old right-arm seamer who has made just five first-class appearances, picked up 12 wickets for Barbados Pride at 16 runs apiece.

He also took 12 wickets from three matches in the 2022 campaign, in which he made his first-class debut.

SQUAD - Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice captain), Alick Athanaze, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Akeem Jordan, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Devon Thomas.