West Indies Cricket suffered a huge blow as their speedster Alzarri Joseph has been ruled out from the upcoming two-Test match series against India, which is scheduled to start from October 02. This is the second pacer who will miss the red-ball series against India. Earlier, Shamar Joseph was also ruled out of the series after suffering an undisclosed injury.
Why has Alzarri Joseph ruled out of Test series against India?
"Alzarri Joseph has been ruled out of the upcoming test series against India due to a lower back injury. After complaints of discomfort, scans revealed a degeneration of the previously resolved lower back injury. Meanwhile, Jediah Blades, who has been capped in One Day Internationals and T20 Internationals, has been drafted in as cover for the two tests following the ongoing series against Nepal" said CWI in a statement.
Alzarri Joseph's replacement in WI squad
Cricket West Indies has announced Jediah Blades as his replacement in the Test squad. He is currently in Sharjah, featuring in a three-match T20I series against Nepal. After the conclusion of the series, he will join the squad in Ahmedabad before the first Test. Windies Cricket confirmed the development on its official X handle while also informing that the former captain and all-rounder Jason Holder declined selection in the Test squad as Joseph's replacement, citing a planned medical procedure.
India vs West Indies Test schedule
The two-Test matches series between India and West Indies is scheduled to take place at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad Oct 2-6) and Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi (10-14) respectively.
West Indies updated squad for India series
Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Jediah Blades, Johann Layne, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales