Sammy played both his one-dayers on the 2004 tour to England

Sammy, a former member of the Lord's groundstaff, has so far only played two limited overs internationals.

"Test cricket is where you get a true test of character and you have to be physically, mentally and skilfully prepared to be successful.

"I have never played Test cricket and it'll be a challenge, but it's a hurdle I'm prepared to jump over," he said.

Sammy is not fully fit after having to pull out of a one-day series in India earlier this year because of injury, a setback which also cost him a place in the World Cup squad.

But he performed well in domestic cricket in the Caribbean and the selectors were sufficiently impressed to include him among seven seam bowlers in the Test squad for the four-match series in England, which starts at Lord's next week.

"I was not surprised by my selection because I have been putting in some hard work over the past few years and have been getting good results," said Sammy, who is the first St Lucian to play for West Indies.

He has had a head start on his team-mates, having been in England for the past fortnight playing club cricket.

"Since 2003, I have been playing in England annually, so I think I am very familiar with the conditions here.

"So far the pitches have played well and unlike previous years, the batsmen have been getting a lot of runs in county cricket," he said.

West Indies will be without batting star Brian Lara for the first time in many years following his decision to retire from international cricket after the World Cup.

But Sammy believes they still have enough quality in the squad to do well.