Rawl Lewis Wins WI Recall

Tue, Jan 17, '06

Grenadian leg-spinner Rawl Lewis, who last appeared in a Test match in December 1998, has won a recall to the senior West Indies team.

Lewis was the most intriguing name in the two separate squads of 14 picked by the selectors for next month's tour of New Zealand. Even more significantly, convenor of selectors Joey Carew said the plan is to give the 31-year-old Windwards captain an extended run in the side.

Contrary to wild speculation in some sections of the media, Carew told journalist Tony Cozier that incumbent captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been recommended by the selection panel to lead the side. Ramnaresh Sarwan has been retained as Chanderpaul's deputy.

But, it was the recall of Lewis, a leg-spin/googly bowler who played in three Tests and 16 ODIs in the 1990s, that demanded attention. For years, the selectors have opted for pure pace, declining to give spinners a realistic shot to cement a place in the side.

That is about to change, Carew promised. "Lewis has been playing so well that we're thinking of giving him a bit of a run to see whether he could become a permanent fixture in the team," Carew told Cozier.

"He has definitely matured. I think the captaincy (of the Windwards) has done a lot of good for him."

Lewis was the Windwards' leading wicket-taker in last season's Carib Beer Series with 32 and he has 14 in two matches this season.

Right-hand middle order batsman Daren Ganga, who has been in and out of the side since making his debut in 1998, has also won a place in both squads. The Trinidad & Tobago captain was picked ahead of Marlon Samuels, who lost his place after a poor tour of Australia.

Left-arm seamer Ian Bradshaw, middle order batsman Runako Morton and pacer Jerome Taylor were all named in both squads.

Wavell Hinds, who was heavily promoted in the media as a replacement for Chanderpaul as captain, was only picked in the ODI squad.

Jermaine Lawson and Tino Best were dropped from the squad that toured Australia.

Champion batsman Brian Lara asked only to be considered for the Tests and was excluded from the ODI team. Deighton Butler will take Daren Powell's place when the limited over phase of the tour begins.

FULL SQUADS
Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-captain), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith (Wavell Hinds), Daren Ganga, Brian Lara (excluded for ODIs), Runako Morton, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Denesh Ramdin, Rawl Lewis, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor, Fidel Edwards, Daren Powell (Deighton Butler).

* Players in brackets are only in the ODI squad.