Windies lack quality says Greenidge
BRIDGETOWN: As the West Indies selectors prepare to pick a squad for the imminent tour of New Zealand, a member of the panel says there are not enough quality players in the region to merit separate squads for Tests and One-Day Internation-als. Gordon Greenidge, who met with fellow selectors Joey Carew, Clyde Butts and team coach Bennett King in Trinidad yesterday, made the observation on the third day of the Carib Beer Series match between Barbados and Jamaica at the 3Ws Oval on Sunday. "Do we have the players for that?" Greenidge responded, when asked about the possibility of naming separate teams in an interview with Caribbean Broadcasting Corpora-tion (CBC) Radio. "In the last four to five years when there have been injuries in the camp, you struggle to find replacements. "You’ve had a squad that’s gone into camp before you chose the 15 to go on tour, but you’re still lacking in those players who would come in and make an impact and take over those spots." The tour of New Zealand, which starts on February 16 with a Twenty20 International, will include five One-Day Internationals and three Tests. Greenidge, an outstanding former West Indies opening batsman, is also concerned about the region’s readiness for Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007. "Those that are wiser than I am feel that everything is going to be okay ? (But) if we knew that we were going to have the World Cup, a lot more things that need to be put in place to cater for the World Cup should be here. "Grounds should be practised and played on to see whether the pitch needs to be changed. All these things should already be in place so that we can view if it’s what we really need to host an international tournament. "I feel that we are a little way behind. I hope that we are not (too) far behind and we still can host the 2007 World Cup," Greenidge said.
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