Hayden ruled out of opener

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By Joe Drabble   Last updated: 22nd May 2008

Matthew Hayden Australia (training) May 08

Hayden: ruled out

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Both Australia and West Indies line up for the first of the three-Test series in Kingston without a number of key players.

The tourists have suffered a double blow with the news that opening batsman Matthew Hayden will miss out through an Achilles injury - joining vice-captain Michael Clarke on the list of absentees.

Clarke will miss the Test opener after being granted permission to leave the tour to attend the funeral of his fiancee's father.

As a result it is expected that Simon Katich will open the batting with Phil Jaques with Brad Hodge coming in for Clarke at number five.

Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin will become the country's 400th Test player when he dons the gloves in place of recently-retired Adam Gilchrist.

Other notable absentees from Australia's previous tour of the Caribbean in 2003 are opening batsman Justin Langer and metronomic seamer Glenn McGrath.

The retirement of the two Aussie stalwarts puts further onus on the performances of Jaques at the top of the order and strike bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark.

Sarwan in charge

The hosts have also been forced to bring in some less experienced faces, with captain and opening bat Chris Gayle injured and middle-order batsman Marlon Samuels suspended. Ramnaresh Sarwan takes over the captaincy.

The unavailability of Gayle will pressurise an inexperienced opening pairing of Brenton Parchment and Devon Smith, however all-rounder Dwayne Bravo believes the younger players now have the perfect opportunity to showcase their ability.

A young West Indies side showed a great deal of promise after drawing the two-Test series 1-1 with Sri Lanka in the spring.

And Bravo is now hoping the less-established first-team players can perform on the big stage as the hosts aim to improve on their record of 11 defeats in the last 12 Test matches against the Aussies.

"We have a lot of good players on our team as well, they're young but they are maturing," he said.

"It's difficult at the beginning of an important series such as this one to have our captain out due to injury and also losing Marlon.

"There is an opportunity for other players like Devon Smith, Brenton Parchment, Ryan Hinds and Runako Morton - the guys who have been in and out of the team.

"Once you do well against a team like Australia everyone will stand up and your name will be counted because there is no other team in the world you would want to make your name against."

West Indies squad: Brenton Parchment, Runako Morton, Ryan Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt), Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wkt), Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Darren Sammy, Sulieman Benn, Amit Jaggernauth, Fidel Edwards.

Australia squad: Ricky Ponting (capt), Doug Bollinger, Beau Casson, Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin (wkt), Brad Hodge, Mike Hussey, Phil Jaques, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Ashley Noffke, Andrew Symonds.