Who is popular today?

Trinidad and Tobago fast bowler Shannon Gabriel and Bajan left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican have been recalled to the West Indies team after over a year’s absence from the set-up.
Guyanese Gudakesh Motie, another left-arm spinner, was also named in the 15-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series in Zimbabwe, which bowls off on February 4.
This was announced by the Cricket West Indies (CWI) men’s selection panel on Tuesday.
Gabriel’s last Test match was against Sri Lanka in November 2021 while Warrican’s last international appearance was also in Sri Lanka, in December 2021, when he played in both matches in the Test series.
Motie made his Test debut for West Indies in Antigua in June 2022 in the first Test of the two-match series victory against Bangladesh.
Gabriel has taken 161 wickets in 56 Tests, placing him joint 12th in the West Indies all-time wicket-takers list and more recently was the joint-leading wicket-taker in the CG United Super50 Cup for the TT Red Force in November last year.
Kraigg Brathwaite captains the maroon with Jermaine Blackwood as vice-captain. Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who made his Test debut in November, is included alongside Joshua Da Silva and Kyle Mayers, to name a few.
TT fast bowlers Jayden Seales is unavailable for selection following a knee injury and subsequent surgery while Anderson Phillip is also unavailable due to injury.
CWI lead selector Desmond Haynes said he hopes the regional team begins the new season with a victory over Zimbabwe.
“We appreciate it won’t be as easy assignment as Zimbabwe, like most other teams in world cricket, play very well on their home soil on pitches that will support their style of play.
“We looked at the conditions we anticipate playing in, and have included two left-arm spinners who didn’t go to Australia in Motie and Warrican.
“With our fast bowlers, Seales has done extremely well for us since he started back in 2021, but with him unavailable we have decided that Gabriel would be best able to fill that role.
“He (Gabriel) is an experienced bowler who has been at the international level for over ten years and has knowledge of the conditions in Zimbabwe when we won there in 2017.”
West Indies will play both Test matches at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, with the first Test running from February 4-8, and the second from February 12-16.
Ahead of the two-Test series, West Indies will have a three-day warm-up match against a local side set for January 28-30 at Bulawayo Athletic Club.
All matches start at 4am (TT time).
The last Test series between Zimbabwe and the West Indies was also played at Queens Sports Club in October 2017. West Indies won the two-match series 1-0, winning the first contest by 117 runs with the second Test ending in a draw.
FULL SQUAD
Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Jermaine Blackwood (vice captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Devon Thomas, Jomel Warrican
The post Windies’ Gabriel, Warrican recalled for Zimbabwe Test series appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.