KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – West Indies discard Wavell Hinds will lead Jamaica in the upcoming Caribbean Twenty20 Championship after selectors shockingly axed Tamar Lambert just months after he skippered the side in the inaugural tournament.
The 34-year-old Hinds will take over a side that includes West Indies pacer Jerome Taylor who has recovered from injury, and 22-year-old left-arm seamer Sheldon Cotterell who is the lone newcomer in the 14-man squad announced Monday.
Hinds will be without the big-hitting West Indies opener Chris Gayle who will be campaigning in Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash.
Selectors, however, have opted for Hinds even though his T20 performances this year have been dismal.
The left-hander gathered just 19 runs in three innings during July’s CT20 and his four innings for West Indies this year yielded a meagre 16 runs from four innings.
He played four One-Day Internationals this year following a four-year sojourn in the wilderness but could only gather 45 runs from four innings. He has not played a Test in four years.
Lambert’s axing comes after he controversially replaced Gayle as captain for this year’s CT20, but he struggled in the tournament with the bat as Jamaica crashed out in the semi-finals.
The 29-year-old, however, has been an outstanding captain for Jamaica, leading the side to three successive four-day first class titles.
He has been joined on the sidelines by opener Brenton Parchment who played a single game during the 2010 CT20.
No place has been found for pacer Andrew Richardson who has been left on the reserve list along with 21-year-old leg-spinner all-rounder Nkrumah Bonner.
As expected, West Indies players Carlton Baugh, Andre Russell and Nikita Miller are among the 14-man squad that will do battle in the January 10-23 tournament in Antigua and Barbados.
Jamaica open the tournament with the feature match of a doubleheader against reigning champions Guyana.
SQUAD – Wavell Hinds (captain), Xavier Marshall, Danza Hyatt, Marlon Samuels, Horace Miller, David Bernard Jr., Carlton Baugh Jr., Andre Russell, Jerome Taylor, Nikita Miller, Krishmar Santokie, Odean Brown, Shawn Findlay, Sheldon Cotterell.
