Ottis Gibson: "The last thing we want would be to rush Sarwan back and lose him for the long-term" © Getty Images Enlarge
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Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, has said that Ramnaresh Sarwan's exclusion from the squad for the home series against Zimbabwe was to give him more time to recover fully from his injury, so that he could be ready for tougher assignments.

"Ramnaresh Sarwan is very important to the team. He was with us in Guyana and seeing him around was very good. He had a serious injury with his back," Gibson said.

Sarwan was overlooked for the last three ODIs against Zimbabwe despite returning to first-class cricket and featuring in the Regional four-day competition. His omission raised several eyebrows especially after he made a century for Guyana last week, a knock that signaled a return to some level of fitness.

"At the moment he could benefit from some more time to get fully ready. I don't want to rush him back too soon. The last thing we want would be to rush him back and lose him for the long-term. It is a precaution to allow him to get 100% ready for the major international assignments we have later this year," Gibson said.

West Indies's upcoming schedule includes the ICC World Twenty20 and a three-Test, five-ODI home series against South Africa later this year.

The last three ODIs against Zimbabwe will be played at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St. Vincent, starting from Wednesday.