Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) quartet of rising batting star Joshua Da Silva, fast bowlers Shannon Gabriel and Anderson Philip middle-order batsman Darren Bravo are among 30 players named by the West Indies selectors for the pending tour of England this summer.
Guardian Media Sports has been reliably informed that Cricket West Indies (CWI) has mandated the regional selection panel headed by former Test off-spinner Roger Harper to name a squad of 30 players from which 25 will make the tour of England, should the series come off.
At the moment CWI and the England Cricket Board (ECB) are in talks to get the tour on as the start date has been pushed back from June 4 for the first Test to a date to be announced.
This is Da Silva and Anderson first call-up and may well get the nod to represent the Caribbean side.
Guardian Media Sports also understands that 12 of the 30 players called are from Barbados, while the Jamaicans are Nkrumah Bonner, John Campbell, and Jermaine Blackwood. The Barbadians are Test captain Jason Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite, Shai Hope, Shane Moseley, Kemar Roach, Roston Chase, Shamarh Brooks, Chamar Holder, Keon Harding, Jomel Warrican, Shane Dowrich, and Kyle Mayers. Pacer Preston McSween comes in from the Windwards.
Also included from the Leewards are all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall, pacer Alzari Joseph and wicketkeeper/batsman Jahmar Hamilton. Guyana’s Shemron Hetmeyer and Keemo Paul are in the squad as well.
According to the source who is close to the development and spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, said that the original 30-man squad called have been told it is their decision if they want to tour or not due to the fears associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they have been told to start preparing themselves in case the tour comes off.
Just before leaving the squad will be cut to 25 with the reason the source give for such a big squad going is that the West Indies team will be carrying net bowlers as well because they will be looking to keep their activities close-knit and would not want to expose themselves to players from outside during training.
The selectors rewarded the players who did well in the West Indies Championships. Da Silva finished 5th in the averages with 507 runs at 50.70. Phillips was brilliant in taking 21 wickets in just three matches at an incredible average of 12.05.
McSween from the Windwards took 31 wickets at an average of 22.77 and gets his chance. Holder took 36 wickets at 18.92, while Harding claimed 29 scalps at 23.21.
Mayers had a great season with the bat getting 630 runs with two centuries at an average of 50.31, while Shane Moseley notched 490 runs, at 43.32 including 155 not out against the Red Force.
Bonner was fourth in the averages with 523 runs at 58.11, while
Blackwood topped the averages with 768 runs at an average of 51.20. (Guardian Media)
