From Garth Wattley
in Kingston
Chris Gayle is back in the West Indies squad and so too is Xavier Marshall. But having just completed his first match in Test cricket, off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth has been axed for the Second Test against Australia which begins in Antigua on Friday.
Also omitted is allrounder Ryan Hinds.
The West Indies selectors announced a 14-squad for that game yesterday.
Gayle, captain in the Test and One-day series earlier this season against Sri Lanka, missed the First Test at Sabina Park because of a groin injury sustained in the final ODI against Sri Lanka in St Lucia last month.
The West Indies lost by 95 runs at Sabina Park yesterday. And at the end of the match stand-in skipper Ramnaresh Sarwan was optimistic that both Gayle and fast bowler Jerome Taylor, who also missed the game because of a lower back strain, would be fit to play.
“They are much better,” he said. “Chris is about 75-80 per cent and Jerome is about 95 per cent.”
In announcing the squad yesterday, selector Andy Roberts, who witnessed the First Test, explained that Marshall had been with the team at Sabina, “as a replacement cover…and he acted as emergency fieldsman.”
It is a great surprise however, that the 22-year-old former West Indies Under-19 star, who also played two Tests against Sri Lanka in 2005, will be on the flight to Antigua this morning.
Marshall averaged 34.25 in five matches for Jamaica during the recently concluded regional Carib Beer Series.
He will take Jaggernauth’s place in the 14.
The off-spinner whose 41 wickets in the series earned him eventual selection in this Test, took one for 74 and none for 22 in the match.
Commenting on his performance, Windies coach John Dyson said: “I don’t think he bowled badly in this Test match at all, in fact I think he bowled quite well.”
But he added: “We’re only allowed to take 14 players. I talked before about the ideal world and in the ideal world we could take a bigger squad and in the ideal world he would still be with the squad. It’s just a matter of looking at the balance of the team and the people who we hope will be playing in Antigua and getting the right mix.”
However the WI coach said further, that Jaggernauth’s omission was not the end of the line for him.
“I said exactly the same thing about (Sulieman) Benn who played one Test against Sri Lanka and hasn’t played since then. And I will say to both of them that they are in the sort of position within the squad that they have to accept that they’re not going to be in every match and that they are in the thinking and that they must continue to work on their game and work on their fitness.”
As for the Australians, captain Ricky Ponting expects both vice-captain Michael Clarke, on compassionate leave at the start of the First Test and injured opener Matthew Hayden to be ready to return in Antigua.
“Michael Clarke will obviously I think come straight back into the team. Matthew Hayden has been getting around a lot better over the last couple of days…Hopefully…we’ll get those guys back in the side sooner rather than later,” he said.
Following is the West Indies squad: Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Runako Morton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devon Smith, Brenton Parchment, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards, Sulieman Benn, Xavier Marshall.
