ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Several West Indies stars are likely to be overlooked for the Tri-Nation tournament in June with the West Indies Cricket Board reiterating yesterday that only players who participated in the Regional Super50 earlier this month would be eligible for selection.
Left-handed opener Chris Gayle, all-rounders Andre Russell and Darren Sammy, along with batsman Lendl Simmons all missed the Regional Super50 which wrapped up last week, due to their commitments in the Australian Big Bash.
All four players were part of the West Indies campaign at last year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
WICB chief executive Michael Muirhead said only the “best available eligible players will be selected” for upcoming series.
“The potential for this tournament is tremendous, and in keeping with the Board’s policy on selection, this pool of players will form the platform from which the West Indies ODI final team is selected for international home and away series,” Muirhead stressed in a media release yesterday.
West Indies are set to face South Africa and Australia in the Caribbean in June. The WICB had warned last month that participation in the Regional Super50 would serve as the criteria for selection.
Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, with West Indies players Darren Bravo and Denesh Ramdin at the forefront, won the Regional Super50 when they beat a star-studded Barbados Pride by 72 runs in last Sunday’s final in Port of Spain.
Muirhead said the tournament represented commercial potential for the WICB.
“There is a direct opportunity for corporate partners to align themselves with the WICB,” he said.
