Marshall Dropped from WI Squad

The West Indies selectors have pared the preparation squad for the tour of Australia down to 24, dropping teenage opener Xavier Marshall and fast bowler Dwight Washington from the original 30-man squad.

The shortlist also excludes Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Jermaine Lawson, Jerome Taylor. Lara and Gayle are playing for the ICC World XI in the Super Series while Taylor and Lawson are recovering from injuries.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said 29 of the 30 players accepted the invitation to attend a pre-tour camp in Barbados. Taylor, who is rehabbing a back injury, was not required to sign since he is not available for the tour.

Lawson recently underwent ankle surgery to fix an impingment of the bone in the back of the right ankle. He will miss the camp and the entire regional one-day tournament but the West Indies selectors expect him to be fit enough to be considered for the tour to Australia.

The omission of Marshall, a talented right-handed Jamaican batsman, comes as a minor surprise. Head coach Bennett King has faced criticisms for pushing Marshall too fast but the Australian insists having the teenager around the squad is a solid long-term investment.

Marshall has played in two Tests and 10 one-day internationals for the senior West Indies team, struggling badly in both forms of the game.

Both Marshall and Washington will represent Jamaica in the regional one-day tournament that begins in Barbados next month.

The shortlisted squad reads:

Banks, Omari
Baugh, Carlton Jr.
Best, Tino
Bradshaw, Ian
Bravo, Dwayne
Butler, Deighton
Chanderpaul, Shivnarine
Collins, Pedro
Collymore, Corey
Deonarine, Narsingh
Edwards, Fidel
Ganga, Darren
Hinds, Ryan
Hinds, Wavell
Joseph, Sylvester
Mohammed, Dave
Morton, Runako
Powell, Daren
Ramdin, Denesh
Samuels, Marlon
Sarwan, Ramnaresh
Simmons, Lendl
Smith, Devon
Smith, Dwayne