BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, (CMC):
West Indies players will assemble in Barbados today as they begin preparation for their four-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan starting next Sunday.
The 16-man squad, headed by captain Carlos Brathwaite, will undergo training sessions tomorrow, Friday and Saturday, before being whittled down to 13 for the opening encounter at Kensington Oval.
The training group includes newcomers Jonathan Carter, Jason Mohammed and Veerasammy Permaul, but missing is superstar opener Chris Gayle, along with all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell.
Russell is serving a one-year suspension for an anti-doping whereabouts violation, while no explanation has been given by selectors for the exclusion of Gayle and Bravo.
Trinidadian Bravo recently underwent surgery last January for a hamstring injury sustained in the Australia Big Bash, but there has been no indication about the status of his recovery.
West Indies will be looking to rebound after suffering a heavy 3-0 whitewash in the recent one-day series against England in the Caribbean.
They will also be looking to make amends for a similar whitewash to Pakistan when the two teams last met in the United Arab Emirates last September.
The remaining T20s will be played at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on March 30, and April 1 and 2.