The West Indies have named uncapped Antiguan leg-spinner Anthony Martin in a 13-man One-Day International squad to play Pakistan which also includes Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo.
Bravo makes his return having recovered from the knee injury that ended his World Cup early while Samuels is in line for an ODI recall following his two-year ban from the sport.
Also included in the squad is Barbados batsman Kirk Edwards and Guyana leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo alongside 28-year-old Martin, who has earned his chance on the back of consistently impressive performances for the Leeward Islands.
Martin's compatriot Devon Thomas retains his spot in the squad as wicket-keeper.
“With a view to the stated goal of winning the 2015 Cricket World Cup, in the 2011-2012 phase the Selection Committee will expose players to international cricket who could potentially play a vital role in the 2015 Cricket World Cup campaign,” Dr. Ernest Hilaire chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said.
Chairman of Selectors Clyde Butts added: “We have looked at a mix of players who will take us through the next 5 to 10 years and with this squad we have put together a youthful but exciting combination of exceptionally talented cricketers who we believe can win matches.
“There are some familiar faces who have not been included on this occasion, but we have already identified the core of players who we will build the team around, however the time has come for us to introduce a fresh crop of players who we believe has a deep desire to excel and who can be tested at the international level.
“We have already seen players like Kemar Roach, Darren Bravo, Andre Russell and Devendra Bishoo performing impressively on the international stage, and we believe that players like Edwards and Martin can step up similarly."
The board added that Bravo will play in the ODIs but will not be available for the Test series which follows due to Indian Premier League commitments, experienced trio Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were not considered in order to give opportunities and Adrian Barath is yet to recover from injury.
The ODI series gets underway on 23rd April in Saint Lucia.
West Indies ODI squad: Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Devon Thomas
