Drakes Replaces Cuffy in WI Squad

A change to the West Indies Cricket Board's (WICB) eligibility rule has cleared the way for Vasbert Drakes to resume his international cricket career.

The tall allrounder has been included in the West Indies team for the first time since playing five One-Day Internationals against Australia and touring England five years ago.

According to sources close to the team, the new selection panel, under chairman Sir Viv Richards, picked Drakes among the players for the forthcoming International Cricket Council Trophy in Sri Lanka starting next week.

It is understood the Barbadian has replaced Vincentian pacer Cameron Cuffy who is still struggling with injury. There are indications that Drakes has also been named in the squad for the tour of three Tests and seven One-Day Internationals in India and two Tests and three One-Day Internationals in Bangladesh.

Drakes, who turned 33 three weeks ago, confirmed he had been selected, but he faces a dilemma ? whether to accept the West Indies call-up or return to his lucrative contract with South African provincial side, Border.

All Drakes was willing to say on Monday was that he had "a matter to discuss urgently".

Drakes had little time to make up his mind, as the West Indies team left for Sri Lanka on Tuesday. Two other Barbadians, Ryan Hinds and Corey Collymore, fly out from Barbados, while Perdo Collins leaves from Jamaica where he remained to film a commercial.

The Windies will have a warm-up camp in Colombo before the mini World Cup.

The way was cleared for his return by the changed WICB policy, announced in its weekly media column Across The Board over the weekend.

Previously, selection was dependent on availability for all matches in the WICB?s first-class and One-Day tournaments. Now players need only turn out in a tournament "immediately prior to an international series" to be eligible.

The former stipulation controversially prevented opener Desmond Haynes playing in the 1995 home series against Australia when he missed the first match of what was then the Red Stripe Cup while playing for Western Province in South Africa. The issue led to Haynes? still unresolved legal action against the WICB.

It also excluded Drakes and others with professional contracts in South Africa, whose season coincides with the West Indies' domestic competitions.

Drakes, who turned out for Pickwick in the BCA Division 1 competition this year, played for Barbados in all six matches in the recent Red Stripe Bowl.

He was named best bowler in the Final Four series after Barbados beat Jamaica by 33 runs on Sunday to clinch the championship.

In spite of his age, his selection has clearly been prompted not only by his Bowl form but by his record, his experience and his ability as a useful batsman in the fragile West Indies lower order.

His knowledge of conditions in South Africa, where the World Cup is scheduled next February and March, would have been another favourable factor.

At Border, his provincial side for the past five year, Drakes was one of the leading bowlers in South African cricket. He set a new first-class championship record of 60 wickets at an average of 16.31 in the 1999-2000 season when he was named Player Of The Year for the second time.

* SOURCE: Barbados Nation