Collins gets 'overdue' recall for Twenty20 World Championship

Pedro Collins, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Narsingh Deonarine have come back into the West Indies squad for the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa next month. Collins, the left-arm bowler, said his return was "long overdue" while Sarwan was named captain after leaving the tour of England early with a shoulder injury.

Collins, who has played 32 Tests and 30 ODIs, said he had a "point to prove" after not being picked for West Indies since July 2006. "I think my recall was long overdue," he told Reuters. "I was being overlooked and I was wondering why. I was waiting my turn to play for the West Indies again and now my turn has come. I'm delighted to be back in the team."

Deonarine, the 23-year-old Guyana batsman, was selected for the first time in two years. He has played four Tests and four ODIs and will push for a long stay in the side during the two-week tournament starting on September 11.

"We saw performances in the last Stanford 20/20 tournament but performances in that tournament was not really a big consideration because we do not think that anything much has been done for the those players after that competition in terms of remedial and developmental work," Gordon Greenidge, the chairman of selectors said. "There were recommendations but very little is being done for player development which is a critical area if the players are to be successful at the highest level.

"The format was taken into consideration and we tried to get a blend of youth and experience since the game is fast-paced and requires a bowler bowling no more than four overs," he said. "We believe that we have arrived at a reasonable balance."

West Indies squad Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Runako Morton, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith, Dwayne Smith, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul.