The new caps in the team, which the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) named on Wednesday evening, are off-spinner Prosper Utseya, 19, fast bowler Tinashe Panyangara, 20, batsmen Alester Maregwede, 23, and Brendan Taylor, 18, and all rounder Elton Chigumbura, 18.

Tatenda Taibu, 20, will become the youngest captain in Test history when the match begins on Friday.

The squad was earlier weakened when Streak, left-arm spinner Ray Price, all rounder Sean Ervine and batsman Trevor Gripper refused to take part in Wednesday's training session.

They are part of a group of 15 white players in dispute with ZCU selectors.

The rebels, who believe black players are being promoted ahead of whites for political reasons, also announced they would walk out for good if the board failed to agree to binding arbitration to try to solve a row raging for the past month.

"We have no more time left," one of the rebels told Reuters.

"We want the ZCU to agree to arbitration by Friday. If they don't, we are going to cancel our contracts."

A ZCU media release said batsman Mark Vermeulen, who was in the squad, was not considered for the Sri Lanka test because he had not been medically cleared.

HIT ON HEAD

Vermeulen has struggled to regain fitness after being hit on the head by fast bowler Brett Lee during Zimbabwe's tour of Australia.

Pacemen Tawanda Mupariwa and Ryan Bennett have been added to the squad for the second and final test from May 14 to 18.

Zimbabwe, whose most experienced players are all white, fielded a young and largely black side in a five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka last month, losing 5-0.

International Cricket Council president Ehsan Mani said on Wednesday: "I am not going to pass comment on the rights or wrongs of what has happened in this case but what is clear is that by walking out on their team mates on the eve of a test match, the rebels have placed Tatenda Taibu and his team in an invidious position."

He added: "At another level, if the rebels believe that walking out will result in other countries interfering in Zimbabwean cricket, I think that they have been very badly advised.

"The ICC has no mandate or authority from its members to unilaterally interfere in disputes between the people who govern the game in a particular country and the people who play cricket there."

Zimbabwe: Tatenda Taibu (captain), Dion Ebrahim, Brendan Taylor, Mluleki Nkala, Blessing Mahwire, Douglas Hondo, Prosper Utseya, Tinashe Panyangara, Alester Maregwede, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Elton Chigumbura.