Selectors pick squad to prepare for 50-over tourney

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica's selectors yesterday named a fairly strong 24-man squad, which will begin training today ahead of next month's West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Super50 Tournament, which will be held in Guyana.

The team, which is without a captain, given the fact that last year's skipper, Chris Gayle, is currently in India on club duties, sees the return of several current and sidelined West Indies and West Indies 'A' Team players, most of whom were part of the team last year.

These include West Indies vice captain Brendan Nash, Jerome Taylor, Nikita Miller, Xavier Marshall, David Bernard Jr. Brenton Parchment, Shawn Findlay, Chadwick Walton, Andrew Richardson and Krishmar Santokie.

The squad, which over the next two weeks will engage in a series of practice matches, also includes former 50-over team captain, Tamar Lambert, and a number of promising young players, who will be hoping to force the hand of the selectors.

These include left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cotterell, who was the find of last season's Caribbean Twenty20 Championship, batsmen Horace Miller and Simon Jackson and off-spinning batting all-rounder Yannick Elliott.

"We haven't had a hold on the 50 overs title since 2009 and the aim behind selecting this squad is to change that," said chairman of the national selection panel, Courtney Daley.

"We have some experienced players and we have some youngsters as we sought to get a good mix and we are fairly satisfied with what we have," he added.

The selection panel is completed by Robert Samuels and Delroy Morgan.

Squad selection

The panel, along with re-appointed coach Junior Bennett, is expected to meet towards the end of the training camp to select a 14-man squad, as well as a captain for the tournament, which is slated to get going on October 18.

In addition to Gayle, the squad is also without batsmen Marlon Samuels and Danza Hyatt, wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr and bowling all-rounder Andre Russell, who are away on West Indies duties.

Jamaica were eliminated by joint champions Barbados at the semi-final stage last year, when the championship was held here in Jamaica.

The Leeward Islands are the other joint title-holders.

SQUAD: Xavier Marshall, Brenton Parchment, Damion Bryce, Simon Jackson, Brendan Nash, Jermaine Blackwood, Richard Allen, Shawn Findlay, Howard Powell, Lorenzo Ingram, Kenar Lewis, Tamar Lambert, David Bernard Jr, Horace Miller, Chadwick Walton, Nikita Miller, Jamie Merchant, Yannick Elliott, Alton Beckford, Odean Brown, Andrew Richardson, Jerome Taylor, Krishmar Santokie and Sheldon Cotterell.