BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Sherfane Rutherford has been signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for the continuation of the Indian Premier League, just days after being snubbed by West Indies selectors for their Twenty World Cup campaign.
The 23-year-old, whose form in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League has been enterprising, will replace Jonny Bairstow, one of three England players opting out of the cash-rich showpiece which re-starts later this month in the United Arab Emirates.
Rutherford has smashed three fifties in seven innings to gather 201 runs at an average of 40 and a strike-rate of nearly 137.
Chief selector Roger Harper said Rutherford had been one of several players failing to meet Cricket West Indies’ fitness standards.
“Rutherford finds himself in a little different situation for as well as he has been performing, he’s one of a number of players who do not meet our fitness criteria so who would not be eligible for selection,” Harper told an online media conference.
Pressed on when Rutherford underwent his fitness assessment, Harper deferred to CWI’s sports medicine department.
“I cannot tell you when he (Rutherford) would’ve been tested,” Harper said.
“The question is whether [Sherfane] made himself available to be tested. I can’t answer that question. You would have to direct that question to our sports medicine department.”
The last of Rutherford’s 20 T20 Internationals came 20 months ago on Ireland’s tour of the Caribbean, with the Guyanese remaining on the fringes ever since.
However, the attacking left-hander has continued to ply his trade on the global franchise circuit, most recently turning out for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League last June.
West Indies last Thursday announced their 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup, selecting out-of-form left-hander Chris Gayle and 36-year-old fast bowler Ravi Rampaul, who has not played international cricket in six years.
