ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

West Indies selectors have rested captain Darren Sammy for the upcoming one-day international series against Zimbabwe, which bowls off later this month.

The all-rounder, who leads West Indies in every format of the game, has been granted time off for the one-day series only and will be replaced at the helm by seasoned all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.

Sammy has played every game for the regional side for the last two years and is coming off a disappointing tour of Australia, where West Indies suffered a 5-0 drubbing in the one-day series.

There will also be no Chris Gayle for the entire ODI series after the leading opener asked to be excused from selection.

Bravo will now lead a predictable 13-man squad announced yesterday for the first two of the three-match series.

The squad sees the return of Test wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and the axing of Devon Thomas, who experienced an ordinary tour of Australia with the gloves and bat.

There still is no return for elegant right-hander Marlon Samuels, who missed the Australia tour through injury.

All three ODIs will be played at the National Stadium in Grenada from February 22-26.

SQUAD: Dwayne Bravo (captain), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Narsingh Deonarine, Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan.