High Fives For The West Indies fifteen (9 April 1999)

9 April 1999

High Fives For The West Indies fifteen

Haydn Gill

Two former Test players have expressed satisfaction over the composition of the West Indies squad for the forthcoming World Cup and series of seven One-Day Internationals against Australia. The legendary Sir Everton Weekes and Ezra Moseley have given the selectors high marks, especially over the retention of aging fast bowlers Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose. "I don't see why we should throw away Ambrose and Walsh. They are still performing," Sir Everton told WEEKENDSPORT yesterday.

"These days they say no one in West Indies cricket retires because of certain reasons, but I don't think we can say that about those two." In spite of the fact that Walsh is 36 and Ambrose 35, the batting great reckoned that a maximum allotment of ten overs should not be a burden for the two veterans. "There are not many players who can perform at their level and hopefully our back-up bowlers will be able to do the job."

Walsh has been named vice-captain and is into his 16th year of international cricket. He has appeared in 185 limited-overs internationals, while Ambrose, who made his debut in 1988, has played 157 matches. There were reports early last year that Ambrose was about to retire prior to the home series against England, and when Walsh opted out after the first One-Day match against the same opponents, it was widely felt he was finished with the shorter version of the game. "People have been calling for them to retire for too long," said Moseley, who made his Test debut as a fast bowler at the age of 32. "I think it is time that their knockers lay off and let them retire gracefully."

Former Barbados leg-spinner George Linton reckoned the selectors did a fairly good job, but he would have gone for Philo Wallace ahead of Sherwin Campbell and fast bowler Nixon McLean over off-spinner Nehemiah Perry. Opener Wallace endured a disappointing tour of South Africa, but Linton gave him the nod on the strength of his outstanding performance in the preceding Wills Cup in Bangladesh. "Philo should be given another chance because his last good performance was in the One-Day game," Linton said. "If you are picking a One-Day team, I would give him a chance to redeem himself."

Both Sir Everton and Moseley, however, went for Campbell, a solid opening batsman who did not play a single One-Day International in 1998. "It is clear that he is the leading opener in the Caribbean," Sir Everton said of Campbell, who hit a century on his return to the Test team. "If a player can bat, he can bat in any situation or position. He is a dour player by nature, but he'll know how he has to play."

Moseley said: "Sherwin's selection is justified. I've always thought that if you are going to play any type of cricket, you should pick your best opener. "A lot of people have called for Wallace, but he seems to be out of touch." Sir Everton and Moseley also welcomed the inclusion of newcomer Hendy Bryan, who is considered as the only bowling all-rounder in the squad. They feel he could also be on the verge of a Test place.

Source :: The Barbados Nation (https://www.nationnews.com/)