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Undeterred by a schedule that demands 10 matches in five weeks, the West Indies have included 10 players over 30 in their provisional and unimaginative squad of 19, from whom the final 15 will be chosen, for this summer's World Cup in England.

They include 36-year-old Courtney Walsh, who has not appeared in a One-Day International since the second against England last April when he voluntarily withdrew, and 38-year-old Clayton Lambert, whom they dropped for the most recent One-Day series in South Africa.

Hendy Bryan, the strong Barbados right-arm fast-medium bowler and hard-hitting lower-order batsman, is the only one in the 19 who has not played international cricket.

In addition to Walsh and Lambert, Curtly Ambrose, Keith Arthurton, Carl Hooper, Ridley Jacobs, Junior Murray, Phil Simmons, Jimmy Adams and Suruj Ragoonath are the over-30s in the squad.

The selection concentrates on experience, especially of English conditions, and accounts for the inclusion of Ambrose and Walsh. But it pays little attention to the value of youthful speed and certainty in the field.

There is no place for Philo Wallace, Nixon McLean, Keith Semple and Daren Ganga, all of whom were retained in the team for the seven One-Day Internationals in South Africa.

The 19 must be reduced to the final 15 by April 11.

The provisional squad:

Curtly Ambrose, Keith Arthurton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Carl Hooper, Ridley Jacobs, Reon King, Brian Lara, Rawl Lewis, Neil McGarrell, Junior Murray, Hendy Bryan, Clayton Lambert, Phil Simmons, Merv Dillon, Stuart Williams, Jimmy Adams, Dave Joseph, Suruj Ragoonath, Courtney Walsh.