GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Disciplinary issues have been at the centre of West Indies left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn’s non-selection since the World Cup, chief selector Clyde Butts has revealed.
The lanky Barbadian was overlooked for the one-day series against Pakistan and was again ignored for the first Test starting here Thursday, despite being one of West Indies’ most successful bowlers at the recent showpiece on the Asian subcontinent with 12 wickets.
Butts said yesterday that Benn’s absence was due to a poor report from the management team.
“Benn has always been a part of our team in the past … but he was not included in the one-day squad [against Pakistan] as well and which is obviously from the reports we have had from the World Cup,” Butts told reporters here. “He did not have a very good report from the World Cup and we felt he needed some time to recuperate from that World Cup and all the situations …[there were] reports from the management team from the World Cup and his actual behaviour.”
Benn had four-wicket hauls against Bangladesh and Ireland but was not picked for the crucial semi-final against Pakistan after West Indies reached the quarter-finals.
He was part of the training camp staged in Barbados prior to the start of the Pakistan series but was conspicuously missing from the subsequent Twenty20 and one-day squads. Butts said while Benn’s performances were pleasing, there were off-field issues that needed to be dealt with. The former West Indies off-spinner said the selectors, along with coach Ottis Gibson had already met with Benn and West Indies Cricket Board officials would also meet with the player shortly.
“There would have been some things on the field as well but mostly off the field. In terms of his actual cricket, no [there were no problems]. I can’t come and say his cricket wasn’t good,” said Butts.
“He has been spoken to and we have sat with him, the selectors and the coach, we’ve sat with him for a long time in Barbados when we had the camp and we actually explained everything to him.
“The Board is actually supposed to meet with Benn and decide how we’re going to move forward from there.”
Benn has emerged as West Indies’ frontline spinner in recent times but has had several run-ins with cricket authorities during his short international career.
He was banned for two one-day matches for a spat with Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin in the third Test in Perth two years ago, and was hit with another suspension last year for entering South Africa’s dressing room during the ill-tempered third Test in Barbados. Benn has taken 51 wickets from 17 Tests and 29 scalps from 25 one-dayers.
