Baugh

ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

Fast bowler Lionel Baker has been elevated to the senior West Indies team for the first time for their upcoming trips to Abu Dhabi and New Zealand.

This follows the announcement of the teams on Friday for three one-day internationals (ODI) against Pakistan and for two Tests against New Zealand, respectively.

Promising youngsters

The 24-year-old Baker hails from Montserrat, and was a member of the Young West Indies side four years ago, when they reached the final against eventual champions Pakistan in the ICC Youth World Cup in Bangladesh.

Baker has played eleven first-class matches for Leeward Islands in which he has captured 18 wickets at 46.50 runs apiece - hardly enough evidence for him to secure a place - but he is clearly being chosen on the promise that he has shown.

Strikingly, wicketkeeper/batsman Carlton Baugh Jr has been included in both squads, after he won a recall in September, when the team visited Canada for a three-nation series that also involved the hosts and Bermuda.

Though Baugh has full reign in the ODI series, he will tussle with regular glove-man Denesh Ramdin for his place in the Test squad which has become a little tenuous, following a string of meaningless innings with the bat.

Head coach John Dyson said the players were looking forward to the tours, and he was looking forward to improvements in both forms of the game.

"Abu Dhabi is a time for us to build on the good performances that we made in Canada in August," he said.

The ODIs in Abu Dhabi will be contested on November 12, 14, and 16, and the two Tests in New Zealand will be played at Dunedin from December 11 to 15, and Napier from December 19 to 23 to be followed by two Twenty20 Internationals and five ODIs.

Squads

For Abu Dhabi: Chris Gayle (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-captain), Lionel Baker, Carlton Baugh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sewnarine Chattergoon, Shawn Findlay, Leon Johnson, Xavier Marshall, Nikita Miller, Dave Mohammed, Brendan Nash, Daren Powell, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor.

For Tests in New Zealand: Chris Gayle (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-captain), Lionel Baker, Carlton Baugh, Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sewnarine Chatter-goon, Fidel Edwards, Leon Johnson, Xavier Marshall, Brendan Nash, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor.