BRIDGETOWN, April 6: Newly appointed West Indies vice captain Ramnaresh Sarwan will miss the first Test against Australia starting in Georgetown on Thursday after failing to recover from a finger injury.

Sarwan, who was to deputise for the reappointed Brian Lara throughout the series, injured his finger while practising with the Guyana squad last month and failed to recover in time.

The 22-year-old, who topped the West Indies batting averages at the 2003 World Cup, could also miss the second Test in Trinidad from April 19 to 23.

Former captain Carl Hooper, who was replaced by Lara last week after West Indies failed to advance beyond the first round of the World Cup, retained his place in the side named on Saturday. The side includes three new caps, wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh and batsmen David Bernard and Devon Smith.

Jamaican opening batsman Chris Gayle was not included in the squad after making himself unavailable for the domestic final against Barbados.

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) rules state that “a player becomes eligible for selection to the senior West Indies team when he makes himself available for selection to his national side in a competition immediately preceding the selection of a West Indies team for an international series.”

The WICB is investigating whether Gayle breached the eligibility rules.

Squad: Brian Lara (captain), Carlton Baugh, David Bernard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Daren Ganga, Wavell Hinds, Carl Hooper, Ridley Jacobs, Jermaine Lawson, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith.—Reuters