Windies drop Gayle, Chanderpaul, Sarwan for ODI series

MIAMI, (Reuters) – The West Indies have dropped  experienced batting trio Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and  Ramnaresh Sarwan for the upcoming one-day internationals against  Pakistan.
A statement from the West Indies Cricket Board said the trio  had been left out of squad for the opening two games in the five  match series as part of a policy to encourage the development of  younger players.

Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle

The move comes after widespread disappointment with the  displays from senior players during the recent World Cup, where  West Indies again failed to impress.
Nonetheless, the dropping of three former captains who have  made up the bulk of the Caribbean runmaking in the past five  years is a drastic move.
Jamaican Gayle is 31, Sarwan is 30 and fellow Guyanese  Chanderpaul is 36.
Ernest Hilaire, chief executive of the board, said the aim  was to bring in players who could improve on the disappointing  World Cup campaign which ended with a quarter-final defeat to  Pakistan.
“With a view to the stated goal of winning the 2015 Cricket  World Cup, in the 2011-2012 phase the Selection Committee will  expose players to international cricket who could potentially  play a vital role in the 2015 Cricket World Cup campaign,”  Hilaire said.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Antiguan leg spinner Anthony Martin is the only uncapped  player named in the squad for the opening two games against the  touring Pakistanis in St Lucia.
Marlon Samuels, the 30-year-old Jamaican batsman, is named  in the ODI squad for the first time since serving a two-year  international ban for passing on team information to an Indian  bookmaker.
Among the players who will have a chance against the  Pakistanis are Barbadian batsman Kirk Edwards, Guyanese leg  spinner Devendra Bishoo and Trinidad opening batsman Lendl  Simmons.
Trinidad all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has recovered from the  knee injury he sustained in the recent World Cup and returns to  the squad — he will be vice-captain to skipper Darren Sammy.

Ramnaresh Sarwan
Ramnaresh Sarwan

After a Twenty20 game on April 21, the opening ODI games in  St.Lucia take place on April 23 and 25 before two games in  Barbados and the final ODI encounter in Guyana.
The teams will also face off in two test matches in May in  Guyana and St.Kitts before West Indies host world champions  India for a single Twenty20, five ODIs, and a three test series.
West Indies squad for first two ODI games v Pakistan:  Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice-captain),Devendra  Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi  Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl  Simmons, Devon Smith, Devon Thomas.

And in a statement this evening, WICB CEO Dr. Ernest Hilaire explained that the WICB remains focussed on the policy of building a new team for the future.

“With a view to the stated goal of winning the 2015 Cricket World Cup, in

the 2011-2012 phase the Selection Committee will expose players to

international cricket who could potentially play a vital role in the 2015

Cricket World Cup campaign,” Dr. Hilaire said.

Chairman of Selectors Clyde Butts commented: “We have looked at a mix of

players who will take us through the next 5 to 10 years and with this squad we have put together a youthful but exciting combination of exceptionally talented cricketers who we believe can win matches.”

Anthony Martin
Anthony Martin

“There are some familiar faces who have not been included on this occasion, but we have already identified the core of players who we will build the team around, however the time has come for us to introduce a fresh crop of players who we believe has a deep desire to excel and who can be tested at the international level,” Butts added.

“We have already seen players like Kemar Roach, Darren Bravo, Andre Russell and Devendra Bishoo performing impressively on the international stage, and we believe that players like Edwards and Martin can step up similarly,” Butts said.

The WICB statement said that as previously outlined by the CEO, Dr. Ernest Hilaire, the WICB had reached out to players who had not taken up retainer contract offers. Fruitful discussions were had with Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard.

With an appreciation to the rapidly evolving nature of international and

domestic cricket and the need for players to benefit both in their

professional development and having a level of financial security practical decisions were taken.

It was mutually determined that Pollard would be best served by being

allowed to hone his T20 skills in the Indian Premier League which will bring future benefit to West Indies cricket. He will not play in the Digicel Series v Pakistan but remains committed to West Indies cricket and will be available for future selection to the West Indies team in all formats.

Dwayne Bravo, who is also contracted to an IPL franchise, will play in the Digicel One Day Series v Pakistan but will miss the two Digicel Tests v Pakistan in order to participate in the IPL. Like Pollard, Bravo also

remains committed to West Indies cricket and will be available for future

selection to the West Indies team in all formats.

Consistent with the policy to expose young players, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan were not selected.

Adrian Barath has not yet attained a level of satisfactory fitness and was not considered for selection.