WINDIES coach Phil Simmons has continued to make the case for several experienced players currently on the fringes of the team to be included ahead of June’s ODI tri-series against Australia and South Africa.For various reasons several of the region’s top players despite their achievements in the shortest form of the game, currently remain ineligible for selection to the One Day International team.
Ahead of the summer ODIs, however, a stipulation that players eligible for selection must have taken part in the regional cricket season will be the biggest stumbling block to their participation.
“There has been talk already that players who did not come back and play in the Super50 (domestic List A competition) won’t be selected,” Simmons was quoted as saying on Espncricinfo.
“But you are talking about seven or eight of the best players in the world.”
The list of omissions will include the likes of Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, and Lendl Simmons.
In January WICB CEO Michael Muirhead re-iterated the board’s position that players who were not part of the recently concluded NAGICO Super50, would take no part in the tri-nation series and that stance is unlikely to chance in the remaining month.
“The panel has not spoken of late on this. The CEO (Michael Muirhead) had put out a statement … saying that these guys are not going to be selected if they don’t play in the Super50, outlining that is the board’s policy, so going forward perhaps that is another area we can review.”