Fast Chris Mpofu misses the game through a muscle strain, with Tendai Chatara making his test debut in his place.
West Indies go into the game with a three-man attack, including recalls for Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach.
Zimbabwe are playing their first two-test series since they lost at home to India in 2005. They have had only four tests in the last 19 months after ending a six-year hiatus from the test arena.
A second test will be played in Dominica from March 20-24.
Teams:
West Indies - Darren Sammy (captain), Chris Gayle, Kieran Powell, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Denesh Ramdin, Shane Shillingford, Kemar Roach, Tino Best, Shannon Gabriel
Zimbabwe - Brendan Taylor (captain), Tino Mawoyo, Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Malcolm Waller, Regis Chakabva, Ray Price, Kyle Jarvis, Graeme Cremer, Tendai Chatara.
