Marlon Black back for cricket trials

FORMER WEST Indies fast bowler Marlon Black has been included in the Shazam Babwah XI to oppose the Imran Jan XI in today’s first four-day cricket trial match for the 2004 Carib Beer Series. First ball is 10 am at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva.

The 28-year-old Black was not a member of the national team during the recent Red Stripe Bowl in Jamaica due to the selectors’ lack of knowledge pertaining to his whereabouts during the trials. But the muscular pacer returned from England a fortnight ago and has since been part of the indoor training sessions at the Couva venue. And left-arm spinner Avidesh Samaroo is another ex-Windies youth team bowler vying for a recall to the national squad.

The 25-year-old, who shot to prominence during his 1996 debut home season and earned a place in the West Indies “B” team for the subsequent tour of Sri Lanka, has faded from the scene, with his last TT match against the Windward Islands in 2000. With the retirement of leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine last week, Samaroo is among five spinners vying for spots on the national squad — fellow left-armers Dave Mohammed and Davindra Krishna as well as off-spinners Amit Jaggernauth and Rodney Sooklal. West Indies youth team players Lendl Simmons and Jonathan Augustus will be on opposite sides during the four-day match, with Simmons doubling up as a wicketkeeper for the Jan XI and the middle-order batsman Augustus included in the Babwah XI.

Teams :
Jan XI: Imran Jan (capt), Satish Naidoo, Imran Khan, Aneil Kanhai, Lendl Simmons (wkpt), Kenton Thompson, Samuel Felix, Riyad Emrit, Avidesh Samaroo, Rodney Sooklal, Theodore Modeste, Kieron Lynch, Avalon Cuffie.
Babwah XI: Sherwin Ganga, Earnil Ryan, Petroc Nicholas, Gregory Mahabir, Jonathan Augustus, Shazam Babwah (capt), Gibran Mohammed (wkpt), Dave Mohammed, Ricardo Paty, Davindra Krishna, Amit Jaggernauth, Marlon Black, Brent Harriot.