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| October 7, 2005 | Friday | Ramazan 2, 1426 |
Samuels, Smith recalled for Australia tour
St JOHN’S (Antigua), Oct 6: Still influenced more by all-round potential than actual performance, West Indies cricket selectors included Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Smith in 15-member squad for the three-Test tour of Australia Oct 27 to Nov 29.
Samuels, 24, and Smith, 22, both had exciting debuts when first brought into Test team but their careers have since had as many stops and starts as a maxi-taxi at rush-hour.
Their selections are likely to have been advanced most strongly by head coach Bennett King. It is a clear challenge for him and his staff to mould their precocious talent into the finished product, just as Duncan Fletcher and his men have done with Andrew Flintoff, a kindred spirit on England team.
Australia is ideal starting point. Eight of those who withdrew from team to Sri Lanka in July and August due to long-running dispute over tour contracts have predictably returned following compromise agreement between West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and West Indies Players Association (WIPA).
Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Wavell Hinds, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards and Corey Collymore bring experience and, in Lara’s case, extraordinary class to a team left emaciated by their controversial absence in Sri Lanka.
The selectors also named a seven-man squad for Hong Kong International Cricket Sixes, scheduled for Oct 22-23 at Kowloon Cricket Club.
Squad for Australia tour: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice captain), Brian Lara, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Smith, Fidel Edwards, Corey Collymore, Tino Best, Jermaine Lawson, Daren Powell.
Squad for HK Sixes: Sylvester Joseph (captain), Runako Morton, Lendl Simmons, Narsingh Deonarine, Darren Sammy, Deighton Butler, Richard Kelly.—Agencies
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