Barnwell, Bishoo in new-look Windies T20 squad

Apr 07, 2011 Sports

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Davendra Bishoo

Chris Barnwell

No place for ‘big name’ players

Davendra Bishoo and Chris Barnwell are the only Guyanese in the West Indies squad for the lone Digicel T20 International against Pakistan at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia on April 21, while Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh, Adrian Barath, Denish Ramdin, Devon Smith, Sulieman Benn and Shiv Chanderpaul are all missing from the new-look Regional side.
St Lucian all-rounder Daren Sammy has been retained as Skipper of the squad which features several uncapped players at the international level.
T20 ‘big-names’ Gayle, Bravo and Pollard did not qualify for selection since they did not participate in the last Regional T20 tournament, opting instead to play in lucrative T20 cricket outside of the West Indies
Jamaican batsman Danza Hyatt, all-rounder Barnwell, Bajan off-spinner Ashley Nurse, and Jamaican left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie have received their maiden call ups to the international circuit, while there is no place for live-wire Antiguan leg-spinner Anthony Martin who has done well for the Leeward Islands in recent Regional limited over cricket.
There are also recalls for all-rounder Lendl Simmons, who last played for West Indies in 2010 in Australia, and batsman Marlon Samuels, who last played an international against Sri Lanka in 2008.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said yesterday that the new-comers have been selected based on performances in the Caribbean T20 Tournaments in 2010 and earlier this year.
With Baugh, Ramdin and 21-year-old Devon Thomas who played in the World Cup, not in the squad Andre Fletcher could do the Wicket-Keeping duties. The re-called Simmons and fellow Trinidadian Daren Bravo could also provide options with the gloves.
The 24-year-old Barnwell, who played one game in this year’s first class competition after making his senior National debut in 2009, has played 15 T20 games for Guyana at the Regional level and in last year’s Champions League tournament in South Africa.
The DCC right-hander, who scored two half-centuries over the weekend in the Georgetown Cricket Association two-day first division competition against GCC, has taken nine wickets and scored 229 runs in his T20 career and is the latest Guyanese and the first DCC player since Travis Dowlin two years ago, to gain a call-up for the West Indies senior team.
Barnwell said he was surprised at his call up especially after being left out of the Guyana team during this year’s Regional First-Class tournament.
He said it was good that the West Indies selectors recognised his ability adding that he is keen to justify their faith in him with a good performance if selected in the final Xi in St Lucia.
“It is any youngster’s dream to be picked for the West Indies and it was a great feeling when I got the news. I know this is a great opportunity for me as I aspire to play International cricket at all levels for the West Indies,” Barnwell, himself a very talented Footballer, told Kaieteur Sport yesterday.
The 25-year-old Bishoo, who played three ODIs in the last World Cup in Asia to join Sew Shivnarine, Narsingh Deonarine and Sewnarine Chattergoon as the Albion players to represent the West Indies senior team, has taken 22-wickets in 13 T20 games including that of Indian great Sachin Tendulkar during Guyana’s Champions League game against Mumbai Indians in Durban and seems in line to become Guyana’s next test player.
WICB Chairman of Selectors, Clyde Butts said yesterday that the squad includes players who have performed well in the Caribbean T20.
“We are looking to expose players as we build towards the next ICC World T20 Tournament next year. Samuels and Simmons have both played at this level before and performed consistently in the Caribbean T20. We believe they will be key members of this team,” Butts said.
“Hyatt, Santokie and Nurse played in the West Indies ‘A’ Team against Pakistan ‘A’ and they did well. We have decided to give them the opportunity in the senior West Indies team and we believe they will make the transition to the higher level. Barnwell also did well in the Caribbean T20 and he also had exposure for Guyana in the Champions League last year. He is a lively and enthusiastic cricketer and we expect good things from him as well.” The former Guyanese Test off-spinner disclosed.
Butts added that Hyatt is a hard-hitting batsman who has demonstrated his ability to be a match-winner when he played against Pakistan ‘A” and said Santokie has been exceptional in the Caribbean T20 using the new ball for Jamaica and that Nurse is a clever bowler, a hard worker and has the ability to make vital runs in the lower order as well.
The Regional side which lost to Pakistan in the quarter-finals of the World Cup will also play five ODIs and two Tests against the Shahid Afridi-led Pakistanis with the last ODI on May 5 and the first Test from May 12-16 scheduled for the Providence Stadium here in Guyana.
The West Indies squad read:-Darren Sammy (Captain), Christopher Barnwell, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Andre Fletcher, Danza Hyatt, Ashley Nurse, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Krishmar Santokie, Lendl Simmons

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