– Fudadin to stay on

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – West Indies A will have to do without the services of the big-hitting Kieron Pollard for their tour of England.

The 23-year-old all-rounder has committed to English county Somerset for their Twenty20 campaign and will be unavailable as a result.

Pollard had been named to join the Windies A side later this month for the Tri-Nations Limited Over series involving India A and the England Lions, the host nation’s A side. He and Jamaican left-arm spinner Nikita Miller were supposed to replace batsman Justin Guillen and leg-spinner Odean Brown for the one-day tournament.

“All-rounder Kieron Pollard has informed the WICB he is unavailable for the one-day section of the tour due to his contract with Somerset in the English County Competition,” a West Indies Cricket Board release said yesterday. His unavailability means Guyanese batsman Assad Fudadin, a late inclusion in the side for Darren Bravo, will now stay on for the one-day phase of the tour.

It was announced in January this year that Pollard had signed with Somerset for their T20 campaign, joining Australian all-rounder Cameron White and Indian spinner Murali Kartik as one of three overseas players.

Pollard scored 134 runs from five innings in the recent five-match one-day series against South Africa and also took eight wickets.

Meanwhile, the WICB has called up 22-year-old Jamaican fast bowler Andre Russell to join the A side in England. He replaces pacer Nelon Pascal who was selected in a 14-man squad for the first Test against South Africa starting next Thursday.