Windies add Keemo Paul to squad for third Test

Keemo Paul has been in fine form in first-class cricket. © Getty

Young fast bowler Keemo Paul has been added to the Windies squad for the third Test against England, starting on February 9 in St. Lucia.

"With Jason Holder missing out on the last Test, Kraigg Brathwaite will take the reins of captaincy. We also welcome Keemo Paul back to the squad. He is having a good showing in the West Indies first-class championship at the moment," Courtney Browne, the Windies Chairman of Selectors, said.

Paul, who made his Test debut in July 2018, has been rewarded for fine form in the domestic circuit. Since playing in the T20I series in Bangladesh, he has featured for Guyana in three FC fixtures, scoring one half-century and picking 20 wickets - including a six-wicket haul.

Browne also reacted to ICC's decision to hand captain Jason Holder a one-game suspension for an overrate offence in a Test that the hosts won in just three days.

"We will, of course, abide by the ICC ruling, but we have to wonder if such punitive action at a pivotal stage of the series is good for cricket," he said. "What a shame if the series is remembered not for the sparkling play of the reinvigorated West Indies players but for a crippling decision made by a rule that ought to be modified."