With just a few weeks to go before the start of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 (T20) World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, the debate continues regarding the inclusion and subsequent involvement of Chris Gayle in the West Indies set-up.
The regional side will be looking to defend the title they last won in 2016, and the Phil Simmons-coached side has recalled several players that were part of that winning 2016 and 2012 side, which was led by Daren Sammy.
Seven players, including veterans Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons, captain Kieron Pollard, and Andre Russell are expected to once again be on show. However, while Pollard, Bravo, Simmons, and a fit-again Russell seem sure picks, West Indies fast-bowling legend Sir Curtly Ambrose doesn’t believe that Gayle’s inclusion in the final eleven is guaranteed.
“For me, Gayle is definitely not an automatic choice for starting,” Sir Curtly said on the Mason and Guest radio talk show in Barbados. “When you look at his exploits over the last 18 months, he has struggled not only for the West Indies, but other T20 franchises. The few home series we played, he hasn’t had any scores of significance.”
Barbados all-rounder Dominic Drakes is to join the Chennai Super Kings as a replacement for England’s Sam Curran, who is out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) with a back injury.
The 23-year-old hero for 2021 Caribbean Premier League champions, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will reunite with his CPL captain Dwayne Bravo ahead of their last league match against the Punjab Kings on Thursday, October 7.
Drakes took 16 wickets in 11 matches for the SKN Patriots during the CPL season and won the tournament with his bat when he scored an unbeaten 48 from 24 balls in the final against St Lucia Kings and was named the Player of the Match.
In 19 T20s so far, he has picked 20 wickets and has scored 153 runs at a strike rate of 159.37.
West Indies bowling legend turned commentator Michael Holding has accused the England team of displaying ‘western arrogance’ following the decision to withdraw from the tour of Pakistan.
Last month, the England Cricket Board announced the decision to pull out of the tour of Pakistan, which was expected to include matches for both the men’s and women’s teams. The decision came sharply on the back of the New Zealand’s team's choice to pull out of a similarly planned tour after citing security concerns.
"The ECB statement doesn't wash with me," the always forthright Holding said. "No substance."
"Nobody wants to come forward and face up to anything because they know what they did was wrong,” he added.
THE criticisms of the West Indies cricket squad and its travelling reserves to represent the Caribbean peoples at the T20 Cricket World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman later this month have elicited a testy response from the president of Cricket West Indies Mr Ricky Skerritt.
Disapproval struck with force and vigour from all corners of the West Indian islands even to a few from the diaspora in North America.
However, Skerritt came bravely to the defence of his selectors.
He said: “A successful World Cup journey requires that all of us; who love and support the game, and who have seriously studied the fortunes of West Indies cricket; come together and send positive vibes to captain Pollard and the members of his squad, no matter what.”
This was in a CWI media release.
We are West Indians and we’ll be supporting WI cricket. The players did not select themselves to defend the WC, not at all. I’d be disappointed to hear that Caribbean folk would give their support elsewhere. One might not agree with the side chosen, hence, there may be doubts as to the outcome of the tournament. However, it doesn’t mean – because it’s a poor selection in the view of past players or present cricket fans – that the supporters want to see their team lose.
Kolkata Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan insists the franchise is monitoring the fitness of West Indies star Andre Russell on a day-by-day basic but remains unsure of exactly when the player will return to action.
The bit-hitting all-rounder was forced to leave the field after making a good save on the mid-wicket boundary and jumped himself off the field as soon as he threw back the ball. The 33-year-old did not feature for the team against the Dehli Capitals, or Friday’s encounter against the Punjab Kings XI.
“Lockie and Russell are being monitored day by day. They have to rehab extremely well in order to be fit,” Morgan said.
