Bridgetown, April 30:

Experienced middle-order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan, 26, has been confirmed the new West Indies captain.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) agreed on his name unanimously at a special meeting. Sarwan, 26, from Guyana and a veteran of 65 Tests and 124 One-Day Internationals (ODI), was recommended by the selection panel of chairman Gordon Greenidge, Andy Roberts and Clyde Butts.

He takes over from batting genius Brian Lara, who retired from international cricket on April 21 — a couple of weeks before his 38th birthday. Sarwan and the Trinidad and Tobago captain Daren Ganga were the leading candidates for the job.

Sarwan made his Test debut against Pakistan in Barbados in May 2000. He took over as Lara’s deputy in March 2003 and scored his first Test century (119) after 28 matches and 49 innings — in December 2002.

Sarwan is reported to be in Miami and expected to join the selectors on Tuesday in Antigua, headquarters of the WICB, to pick a squad for the May 12 to July 7 tour of England, which includes four Tests, two Twenty20s and three ODIs. The squad is to leave the Caribbean on May 8.

The meeting addressed other issues, including the appointment of a coach and management team for the England tour and discussions relating to negotiations with the West Indies Players Association.