St Lucian Sammy in WIndies ODI squad

ST JOHN’S: Darren Sammy has the chance to become the first player from St Lucia to play international cricket for West Indies, when he was named in a 15-member squad for the three-nation One-day series in England next month. No room could be found, however, for experienced fast bowlers Mervyn Dillon and Corey Collymore, but Carlton Baugh, the second string wicket-keeper for the last year, has been included in the squad that will face hosts England and New Zealand. All of the members of the squad that was selected for the ODI series against Bangladesh that West Indies swept 3-0 — except Sylvester Joseph — have been picked for the series that commences on June 26 and ends with the final on July 10.

Sammy was the fourth highest run scorer for Windward Islands in this year’s Carib Beer Series with 261 runs at an average of 26.10, and his 22 wickets were the second highest for the sub-regional team and tenth highest in the Championship. Presently, Sammy, named St Lucia’s Sportsman of the Year for 2003, is pursuing an attachment with the Marylebone Cricket Club, whose home ground is the world famous Lord’s in England. The 21-year-old Sammy was also a member of the Young West Indies team that reached the semifinals of the ICC Youth World Cup New Zealand 2001 and has progressed nicely through the regional cricket system. Dillon and Collymore are currently the most capped West Indies bowlers in either form of the  game with 49 Tests and 156 ODIs between them, but they have had limited success in either form of the game of late and have lost their places to a string of younger fast bowlers.

Collymore has not had a chance to redeem himself following an expensive penultimate over of the opening ODI that helped to give England victory in Guyana last month, although he was a travelling member of the squad for that ODI series. Dillon earned a recall to the ODI squad for the series against England, but that ended in a disaster when he conceded 67 runs from nine overs in the final ODI in Barbados. Baugh returns to the squad for the first time, since returning to the Caribbean, after the Test series in South Africa. Joseph made intermittent appearances throughout the home series against England and Bangladesh, but did not fully grasp the opportunities thrown his way.

Squad: Brian Lara (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan (vice-capt), Carlton Baugh, Tino Best, Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Ridley Jacobs, Ricardo Powell, Ravi Rampaul, Darren Sammy, Devon Smith, Dwayne Smith. (CMC)