Nash eyes West Indies after losing contract

Brendan Nash, the Queensland batsman, will leave Australia to restart his career in the Caribbean. Nash, whose father Paul was an Olympic swimmer for Jamaica, has made the decision to try and win a West Indies spot after missing out on a Bulls deal for 2007-08.

Nash, 29, said he still felt he was good enough to play at first-class level or even higher. "I was obviously very disappointed to miss out on a contract, but I pretty much got told it would be hard for me to work my way back in again and I felt I still have something to offer,'' he said. "I was over in the Caribbean for the World Cup and although I didn't talk to anyone on the West Indies board or anything, I did speak to Jeff Dujon and Courtney Walsh and they felt I could make an improvement to West Indies cricket.''

He will join the Kingston club initially, and hopes to make a return to first-class cricket with Jamaica in the Carib Series. While nothing has been guaranteed, Nash was confident he would have a chance of breaking into the international game through his father's country.

"I've spoken to a lot of senior players in Queensland and most of them felt like they didn't hit their peak until they were 29 or 30,'' he said. "I'll give myself plenty of backing to make a go of it and weigh it up a bit further down the track, it's all been a bit sudden.'' Nash, who played only three games with the Bulls last summer, will depart for his Caribbean adventure in September.