( L - R ) Marlon Samuels, Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds
BATSMAN MARLON SAMUELS is among five Jamaicans named to the West Indies' 15-man squad for next month's tour of Australia.
Samuels, who has not played for the West Indies since making 14 and zero not out against Sri Lanka in June 2003, joins pacers Jermaine Lawson and Daren Powell as well as Chris Gayle and Wavell Hinds in the West Indies squad.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been retained as captain.
The 31-year-old Chanderpaul will have fellow Guyanese Ramnaresh Sarwan as his deputy, and Sarwan is one of several top players who missed the recent Sri Lanka tour this summer over the players' contracts dispute, returning to the unit.
Antiguan Sylvester Joseph will captain the Hong Kong Sixes squad.
Double world batting record holder Brian Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Gayle, Hinds, and Devon Smith are all included in the Test side, after missing the Sri Lanka trip.
NOTABLE ABSENTEES
Pacer Lawson, recently cleared by the ICC over a suspect bowling action, has been included in the party that travels on October 17 for the series of three Tests.
Notable absentees include injured left-arm pacer Pedro Collins, batsmen Runako Morton and Joseph, who were key batsmen on the Sri Lanka tour, and West Indies-A team captain Daren Ganga, who led the reserves admirably on the A-team tour of Sri Lanka this summer.
West Indies play Australia in the first test November 3-7 in Brisbane, followed by Hobart November 17-21, and Adelaide November 25-29.
The West Indies will also play two first-class matches on tour, against Queensland and Victoria.
The selectors have also named a seven-man squad for the Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes, scheduled for October 22-23 at the Kowloon Cricket Club, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Joseph will be leading that party that includes Morton, Lendl Simmons, Narsingh Deonarine, Darren Sammy, Deighton Butler and Richard Kelly.
Squad - Shiv Chanderpaul (captain), Tino Best, Dwayne Bravo, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Jermaine Lawson, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Dwayne Smith.
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