SYDNEY, April 13: Jimmy Maher will join the Australian team in the West Indies to give wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist a rest, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) announced on Sunday.

ACB chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said Maher would arrive in the Caribbean in time for Australia’s match against a University of West Indies XI in Barbados, beginning on April 26.

Maher was a member of the Australian one-day team that won the World Cup in South Africa but missed out on the Test squad.

However, the Queensland captain was certain to make the Australian one-day squad to play West Indies as soon as the Test series was over.

“We are not necessarily saying that Jimmy is the country’s second-best wicket-keeping option,” Hohns said in a statement.

“But for this match we would rather introduce a player who is going to be with the team for the duration of the trip, rather than fly someone across for a few days.”

Hohns said Gilchrist, who is also a key batsmen for both the Test and one-day teams, needed a short break after an exhausting schedule in recent months.—Reuters