BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Fiery Barbados fast bowler Tino Best has been recalled to the West Indies side for the first three One-Day Internationals against Australia starting later this month.
The 30-year-old, who has not worn maroon colours in almost three years, was named yesterday in a 13-man squad which will be captained by Darren Sammy. Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has been appointed vice-captain.
Best, who has had a disjointed career for West Indies since making his international debut nine years ago, will be joined by experienced all-rounder Dwayne Bravo who has been in and out the side of recent.
“Tino over the last two years has been very consistent with his performance in the shorter format of the game, and Dwayne looks like he has returned to form and has been consistent, plus his on-field experience will be of value to us,” said chairman of selectors, Clyde Butts.
Best played 12 Tests and 11 ODIs between 2003-06 with little success before being discarded by selectors. He found his way back into the West Indies team again in 2009 during the bitter players strike but was subsequently dropped once the elite players made themselves available.
The barrel chested Barbadian has been in outstanding form in this year’s Regional first class championship where he has bowled with pace and hostility to grab 14 wickets in three matches at an average of 16.14 runs apiece.
West Indies, however, will be without speedsters Fidel Edwards and Ravi Rampaul for differing reasons.
Edwards, currently in South Africa representing the Dolphins in the domestic Twenty20 competition there, did not enter the selection frame for the ODI series as selectors attempt to keep him fresh and injury-free for Tests and T20Is.
“Fidel is being considered for two formats of the game at this time – Tests and Twenty20s,” Butts explained.
“It is all about workload management as we approach a long and demanding schedule of cricket, so we have to handle him with care, considering the injury problems which he has had in the past.”
Rampaul, meanwhile, is struggling with illness and is one three first choice players unavailable as fellow Trinidadians Adrian Barath and Lendl Simmons are injured.
“They will be sorely missed because they were two of our most consistent players in this format of the game over the last year,” Butts lamented. Batsman Johnson Charles, meanwhile, will be in line to make his ODI debut after being named in the squad.
The 23-year-old right-hander played in two Twenty20s against England last September and is the only player in the unit without ODI experience.
“Johnson has shown marked improvement in his batting and deserves another opportunity at international level,” Butts noted.
The first three ODIs will be played at the Arnos Vale Complex in St Vincent on March 16th, 18th and 20th, and the squad will remain in camp here in Barbados until departing for Kingstown early next week.
The remaining 17 players who started the camp last weekend returned to their respective territories on Monday.
SQUAD – Darren Sammy (captain), Denesh Ramdin (vice-captain), Tino Best, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels.
