King BRIDGETOWN, CANA: UNCAPPED left-arm wrist spinner Dave Mohammed and lanky fast bowler Cameron Cuffy have been drafted in the West Indies' squad for the third Cable & Wireless cricket Test against South Africa starting at Kensington Oval here Thursday.
The West Indies selectors yesterday named the 21-year-old rookie Trinidad and Tobago back-of-the-arm spin bowler in their 13-member squad and also recalled the 31-year-old Cuffy.
Mohammed, who specialises in bowling the chinaman and googly and maintains a fairly accurate line, has been selected after a mere three first-class matches.
He made his first-class debut earlier this year in the Busta Cup, taking 13 wickets in two matches against the West Indies "B" Development team and Barbados.
Selected for the West Indies Cricket Board XI in the final tune-up match against South Africa at Kensington Oval over the past three days, Mohammed bowled impressively in both innings.
He took one for 54 off 20 overs in the first innings and also captured two for 35 off 16 overs in the second innings when he dimissed both South African opening batsmen Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs.
Mohammed joins fellow Trinidadian Dinanath Ramnarine as the second spinner in the Windies squad.
Cuffy, who is just as tall and bowls in similar fashion to the retired Antiguan pacer Curtly Ambrose, has been recalled after capturing a mere seven wickets in his previous three Tests at an average of 43.71 runs apiece.
The big Vincentian bowled impressively in the recent triangular One-Day series against Australia and Zimbabwe, getting plenty of bounce and displaying tremendous accuracy.
He also seized the third fast-bowling spot in the squad by taking three for 38 off 17 overs for the Board XI in the South African first innings and then delivered 18 accurate overs for just 30 runs in the second innings.
With Cuffy's inclusion, the axe has fallen on his erratic fast-bowling compatriot Nixon McLean, who bowled inconsistently in the first two Tests, taking six wickets.
Another fast bowler Reon King, who was in the squad for both Tests in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago but did not play, has been omitted as well after a below-par display for the WICB XI.
The squad: Carl Hooper (captain), Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ridley Jacobs, Courtney Walsh, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Dave Mohammed and Dinanath Ramnarine.
