Anger in J'ca Over Dropping of Samuels

Despite being dropped from the West Indies World Cup squad because of an injured knee, batsman Marlon Samuels is set to be part of the 13-man Jamaica squad which leaves here tomorrow to face the Leeward Islands in their opening Carib Beer four-day game starting Friday in Anguilla.

Samuels worked out with the Jamaica squad at Sabina Park yesterday and satisfied the requirements of the highly respected, long-time fitness trainer, David Bernard.

"In my opinion he is ready (fit) to play cricket," said Bernard following a physical routine that included warm-ups, stretches and the "aerobic shuttle run" to "test the aerobic capacity".

"Once he is not with the West Indies team, Marlon (Samuels) will be with the Jamaica team," coach Robert Haynes told journalists following a lengthy practice session in which former West Indies captains Courtney Walsh and James Adams also participated. Haynes was among those bitterly criticising the decision of the WI selectors to pull Samuels from the World Cup squad.

Chairman of Jamaica's selectors, Ruddy Williams, who will today name the thirteen to travel to Anguilla, also confirmed that Samuels would be part of the Jamaica team once he was in the West Indies squad.

And last night, president of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) said he was fully in agreement with Samuels playing for Jamaica as long it caused no delays in further medical treatment. Arrangements are being made for Samuels to see the New York-based specialist, Dr Ainsworth Allen, who is an expert in sports injuries.

"The thing is that if the (medical) appointment cannot be done immediately, I really don't see any problem in his playing until the appointment can be made. This is provided of course, that he doesn't put off going to New York," said Hendriks.

In deciding against taking Samuels to the World Cup, the Sir Vivian Richards-led selection panel acted on a report from Jamaican doctor, Akshai Mansingh, a member of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) medical panel. This followed a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan performed in Kingston last Thursday.

The report said Samuels could play in the World Cup which begins on February 9, but should be careful to protect his knee during training. Mansingh also added what cricket sources say is his usual caveat (warning) in such situations, that "it must be clear that he (Samuels) may break down at any time".

The medical report further recommended that Samuels speedily undergo additional corrective surgery on his knee that was operated on in Sharjah in February of last year and which may involve a bone-grafting procedure. But Mansingh has also told the Observer that in his opinion Samuels was free to play cricket until the date for his "medical evaluation overseas".

Jamaican cricket officials made it clear yesterday that there was no chance of the regional selectors reversing their decision to replace Samuels with the Barbadian allrounder Ryan Hinds.

"The selectors have taken a decision based on a medical report and I don't personally feel that there is anything that anyone can do about it now," Hendriks said last night, even while noting that Marlon "must be shattered".

Samuels himself declined to speak to the press yesterday but the outspoken Haynes did not mince words while suggesting that the young batsman was unfairly treated.

He argued that if a case was being made that the 22-year-old was unfit for cricket, then much the same could also be said of others in the team including captain Carl Hooper, who has only just returned from corrective double-knee surgery. Haynes claimed that Hooper and fastbowler Mervyn Dillon, who is also returning from injury, have been asked to carry lighter workloads during training sessions even while Samuels, who had major surgery last year, was pushed to the limit.

The point was also made that fastbowler Nixon McLean bowled only one over in a practise match for the West Indies team at its training camp in Antigua on Thursday. McLean was not part of a second practise game played on Sunday.

"Its just not cricket ... we as Jamaican and West Indies supporters should do something about it," declared Haynes. And when contacted yesterday, Samuels' US-based agent, John Pinnock, argued that "the way things have transpired has left room for a lot of suspicion..."

According to Pinnock, Samuels had told him that "his knee is feeling better now than at anytime since the surgery (in Sharjah last February)". In fact, said Pinnock, Samuels had been "feeling more discomfort prior to the tour of India and Bangladesh" late last year.

A disappointed Walsh, who holds the world record for most Test wickets, told the Observer yesterday that he hoped "what has happened to Marlon is based purely on what the doctor's findings were... the World Cup only happens once every four years and he (Samuels) is one of our best players and we really would have wanted him to be there..."

And Hendriks, in expressing concern that Samuels gets the recommended medical operation as quickly as possible, said he had been in touch with WICB CEO Michael Hall to ask that an appointment be set up as quickly as possible.

"My understanding is that the rehabilitation period is fairly lengthy, so the quicker we can have the operation over with, the quicker we can have him back in the West Indies team," said Hendriks.

* SOURCE: Jamaica Observer.