Jacobs bats for keeper Baugh

Former West Indies wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs has come out in support of fellow wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr, who was recently offered a central retainer contract by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and seems destined to don the 'maroon and gold' once again.

According to Jacobs, who was one of several past and present West Indies players in the country last weekend in support of Chris Gayle's second annual celebrity charity cricket festival, Baugh, if given support, could play a pivotal role in advancing West Indies cricket.

"Congrats to Baugh for sticking in. It's good that he had the character to keep going despite being overlooked for a while," said Jacobs, who helped in the early development of Baugh when the latter came into the West Indies team.

"He was once my deputy and I know what he is capable of. I think he is stable with the gloves, has the ability to concentrate and can bat, which has been evident in the past couple of regional seasons," he added.

One of 15

Baugh, who recently turned 28, was one of 15 players offered retainer contracts by the WICB last week.

He is also the only established wicketkeeper on the list, with regular gloves man Denesh Ramdin being left out due to what the WICB described as "less than favourable" performances in recent times.

Ramdin, 25, averages 15 from his last 11 Test innings, and has a mere 159 runs to his credit in a similar number of innings in one-day internationals (ODIs).

Ramdin is still eligible for West Indies selection, however, as, according to WICB selection policies, a retainer contract is not a prerequisite for selection to West Indies teams.

Another wicketkeeper, Jamaican Chadwick Walton, who represents the Combined Campuses and Colleges in regional tournaments and represented the West Indies in two Tests against Bangladesh last year, is available for selection after he was offered a second-tier development contract.

Both the central retainer and development contracts are effective October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011, and have salary ranges between US$120,000 (J$10,285,200 million) and US$24,000 (J$2,057,040 million) per annum.

Valuable contributions

"I am looking forward to Baugh making valuable contributions in the middle to lower order of the batting, which is what the team needs right now," said Jacobs.

Baugh, who played a leading role in Jamaica winning the regional four-day title for a third year in a row, has so far represented the West Indies in five Tests. He averages 19.60 and 30 ODIs in which he averages 14.86.

He last represented the West Indies in an ODI in 2008 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, and in Test in 2004 against England at The Oval.

- Jermaine Lannaman

Jacobs