News

Barbados drop Stoute after selection mix-up

In a mix-up over the interpretation of the eligibility rules, Kevin Stoute, the Barbados opener, has been withdrawn from the squad for all the remaining matches of the Stanford 20/20

Cricinfo staff
13-Feb-2008

Kevin Stoute was not in the original 16-member squad © The Nation
 
In a mix-up over the interpretation of the eligibility rules, Kevin Stoute, the Barbados opener, has been withdrawn from the squad for all the remaining matches of the Stanford 20/20 in Antigua. He has been replaced by Rashidi Boucher, the 17-year-old Barbados youth team opener.
Stoute was not in the 16-member squad originally submitted by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) to the board of directors of the tournament. This was pointed out to the BCA by Stanford officials, who made it clear that players away on West Indies duties at the senior or junior level are eligible to be included in the squad and the selection of other players will have to be approved by the tournament directors first.
Last week, Stoute and Patrick Browne, the wicketkeeper, had replaced Ahmed Proverbs and Carlo Morris in Barbados' 13-member squad for Friday's quarter-final match against Grenada. Browne was away playing for the West Indies' senior team on the tour of South Africa, which meant he was eligible for selection.
A section of the tournament guidelines stated: "Should a country want to include a player not originally selected in its squad of 16, it shall be required to submit a written request to the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors for its consideration. The decision of the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors will be final and binding.
"You will also at that time submit a new 16-member squad, indicating the players who will be replaced. Please be guided that this 16 will be your 16 for the tournament and those omitted will no longer be eligible for selection unless there is injury and an application sent to the committee along with a doctor's certificate."
Rollins Howard, the BCA's operations manager, expressed regret over the mix-up.
"It was a misinterpretation of the word "new" as it related to changes in the squad," Howard was quoted in a report in the BCA's website.
In the same report, Roddy Estwick, Barbados' chairman of selectors, said, "It was a very, very unfortunate misunderstanding pertaining to the ruling of the Stanford policy.
"The information given to the selectors was that we were to pick a new 16-man squad so we selected Kevin Stoute, who was in our initial squad of 20, only to be told by the Stanford committee that he wasn't eligible for selection based on the fact that he was not in the original 16. I will be apologising to Kevin personally and on behalf of the selectors and all of the relevant parties."
Stoute said he had put the unfortunate events behind him and was now looking ahead to the remaining matches of the Carib Beer Cup.
"With every disappointment, you can take some positives from it and something like this can only make you stronger," Stoute told the Nation. "There are three more Carib Beer games left, so right now I am focusing on them. If selected, I would be looking to give 100% for Barbados."
Revised squad - Dwayne Smith (capt), Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Derick Bishop, Rashidi Boucher, Patrick Browne (wk), Jonathan Carter, Ryan Hinds, Alcindo Holder, Ryan Nurse, Dale Richards, Khalid Springer, Kenroy Williams