– West Indies middle order batsman overlooked for retainer contract
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados,  CMC – Marquee West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan is among three high profile players snubbed by the West Indies Cricket Board for central retainer contracts.

When the 14-man list was announced yesterday, neither Sarwan, Denesh Ramdin, nor Jerome Taylor were included for the new period running from October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011.

The trio of Narsingh Deonarine, Dave Bernard Jr. and Travis Dowlin have also been overlooked.

In a release yesterday, the WICB said Sarwan and Taylor’s lack of fitness and availability had worked against them.

“Bernard has been offered a developmental contract while Sarwan and Taylor’s limited availability for the West Indies over the past year due to injuries weighed heavily against them,” the WICB said.

“Sarwan and Deonarine’s general levels of fitness were also deemed unsatisfactory.

“Ramdin and Dowlin’s performances over the past year have been less than favourable in the view of the Selection Committee and they were not recommended for Central Retainer or Developmental contracts.”

Sarwan, a former Windies captain who averages 41 from 83 Tests, has not played a Test since last December and played just two of the five One-Day Internationals against South Africa this year before falling prey to injury.

Ramdin, meanwhile, has been in abysmal form. His last 11 Test innings have yielded a paltry 159 runs at an average of 15.9 while his one-day form has also suffered, with just a single half-century in the last three years and an average of 19.

Taylor has not played Test cricket since limping out of the first Test against Australia Down Under last November, and an attempted comeback earlier this year ended after he had played just two Twenty20s against South Africa in May.

Dowlin, who had an encouraging start to his Test career last year with half-centuries against Bangladesh and Australia, has apparently paid for his poor form against South Africa when he managed just 11 runs in three Test innings.

Twenty20 specialist Kieron Pollard, however, has been handed a central contract for the first time along with batsmen Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo, off-spinner Shane Shillingford, left-arm spinner Nikita Miller and pacer Nelon Pascal.

In handing the 23-year-old Pollard a retainer contract, the WICB praised him for performing “exceedingly well in the shortest form of the game”.

However, the Trinidadian who is yet to play a Test, has exhibited miserable form in his 20 T20Is.

While he has shone for English county Somerset in the T20 league in England, he has scraped a mere 104 runs from his last 10 innings for the West Indies, averages 12.66 overall and has a highest score of 38.

Barath, Bravo, Shillingford, Miller and Pascal are all emerging Test players and have already been tipped to lead the next generation.

Left-handed opener Devon Smith, who has not played for West Indies in a year, has been upgraded from a development contract to a retainer contract.

Meanwhile, the WICB ave offered developmental contracts to Kirk Edwards, Andre Russell, David Bernard Jr., Gavin Tonge, Andre Fletcher, Chadwick Walton, Devendra Bishoo, Assad Fudadin, Imran Khan and Kevin Stoute.

The Board said yesterday players had until September 10 to accept the offers after which they would make alternative offers.

“The WICB has also indicated that should, by that date, any player not convey a decision to the WICB or indicate that they would prefer not to take up the offer the WICB will make alternative offers,” the release said.