Jamaica bolster squad for semis

Russell, Bernard, Brown included for T&T clash

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

West Indies fast bowler André Russell has been included in Jamaica's 13-man squad for their West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Four-day Tournament semi-final clash against Trinidad and Tobago in Port-of-Spain starting on Friday.

In the other semi-final, the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) will host the Windward Islands at the Three Ws Oval in Barbados, also starting on Friday.

The 22-year-old Russell, who recently returned from the on-going International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh where he performed fairly well with both ball and bat, has been drafted into the squad to bolster the bowling, which lacked penetration against Trinidad and England Lions in the team's last two preliminary games.

Lions clash

The squad, which leaves today for the twin-island republic, also sees the return of all-rounder David Bernard Jr, who, after picking up an injury in the second innings of the Trinidad and Tobago match, was rested for last weekend's game against the Lions.

Fast bowlers Jerome Taylor and Andrew Richardson, who also picked up injuries in the Trinidad and Tobago game and were also rested for the Lions clash, have not fully recovered.

Also missing out were left-arm seamer Sheldon Cotterell and off-spinner Bevon Brown, who were drafted in as replacements for the Lions encounter.

Leg-spinner Odean Brown, who had also missed the England Lions clash due to injury, returns to the squad, along with 19-year-old leg-spinner, Akeem Dewar, who made his debut against the Lions.

Meanwhile, West Indies wic-ketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr was left out after a further assessment of his injury by WICB medical officers revealed that he had not fully recovered from a hamstring injury he sustained weeks prior to the start of the World Cup.

SQUAD: Tamar Lambert - captain, David Bernard Jr, Odean Brown, Akeem Dewar, Jason Dawes, Wavell Hinds, Danza Hyatt, Simon Jackson, Brendan Nash, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Brenton Parchment, Chadwick Walton.