BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC:
JAMAICA MIDDLE-order batsman Marlon Samuels will miss his country's Carib Beer Cup match this weekend after all and travel to New York to have his bothersome knee looked at by a specialist recommended by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
Samuels, initially defying the WICB's advice to get urgent medical attention, travelled to Anguilla on Wednesday for the game but reversed his decision to play following discussions between his agent and the WICB.
The talented 22-year-old, upset because he was dropped from the World Cup squad after selectors reviewed a medical report on his knee, had insisted that he was fit enough to play.
The Samuels plan had been to play the first round Carib Beer Cup four-day match starting today before travelling to the United States, where he would opt to see Dr. Michael Mont, not the WICB's recommended Dr. Ainsworth Allen.
But the player's agent, John Pinnock, in a release issued on Wednesday night, said although his client's knee was "feeling extremely good at this time", he was now willing to compromise to "leave no questions unanswered".
Pinnock said the decision was also prompted by the need "to work with the WICB, to allay the concerns of his many fans and supporters, and to set the stage for him to return to competitive cricket without much delay".
Samuels left the pre-World Cup camp in Antigua last Thursday for an MRI scan after feeling discomfort in his left knee that was operated on last year February.
Samuels, who struck maiden Test and one-day international centuries on tour of India late last year, trained on Monday afternoon with the Jamaica squad and announced he was physically ready to play.
Team officials were also satisfied with his condition and picked him on the 13-man travelling squad to face the Leewards this weekend.
