CHANDERPAUL
THE WEST Indies cricket tour of Sri Lanka this month will go ahead, but without most of the region's big names.
Late last night, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) named a new 14-man squad which, on face value, resembles a Caribbean second XI with only skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul being of true world class.
Former WI captain Brian Lara, Ian Bradshaw, Dwayne Bravo, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Devon Smith failed to sign the board's match tour contract and have been omitted from the touring party.
Only three players - Chanderpaul, Jamaican paceman Daren Powell and newcomer Denish Ramdin, a wicketkeeper from Trinidad - from the original squad of 13 invited on June 17 signed their letters of invitation and returned them to the WICB by the deadline of June 21.
Earlier this week the WICB directed the selectors to pick a new team. They have now added 'A' team players Narsingh Deonarine, Dwayne Smith, Jermaine Lawson, Tino Best, Xavier Marshall, Runarko Morton, Ryan Ramdass, Kerry Jeremy to join Chanderpaul, Ramdin and Powell in a new look 14-member squad.
Windward Islands' Deighton Butler, along with Sylvester Joseph and Omari Banks, has also been called up.
The Gleaner has learnt that four senior members of the West Indies 'A' team in Sri Lanka, Daren Ganga, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh and Dave Mohammed, decided not to sign the tour contract in support of their senior team players.
It was also said that hard-hitting former Jamaica batsman Ricardo Powell also refused to agree to the WICB contract terms.
The West Indies are scheduled to play two Test matches against the hosts and, along with India, participate in a triangular one-day tournament following the Test series. The Test series begins on July 13 and the one-day tournament on July 30.
The squad members not already in Sri Lanka and the technical staff will leave for Sri Lanka at the weekend.
