Selectors signal to West Indies Spinners

Dave Mohammed's inclusion in the West Indies 13-man squad for the third Cable & Wireless Test against South Africa, starting today at Kensington Oval, has been designed to send a strong message to slow bowlers across the Caribbean.

The 21-year-old Trinidadian left-arm wrist spinner was last night omitted from the final XI, but his presence gives the impression that the days of pace-biased attacks may soon be at an end.

I don't think we are going to play four fast bowlers at any of the venues certainly not in Antigua or Jamaica, West Indies captain Carl Hooper said yesterday when asked what had prompted the inclusion of two slow bowlers in the squad.

If we were going to play four (fast bowlers), it was going to be here.

It is important to encourage young spinners throughout the Caribbean that there is a place for them in the side if they are bowling well and taking wickets.

We just want to encourage some of the younger guys coming through.

The slimly built Mohammed has been picked principally on the promise he has shown in his debut first-class season, which brought him 16 wickets (ave. 14.43) in three matches.

Ramnarine, on his return to the international arena, bowled impressively for most of the series and he becomes the first West Indian wrist spinner to play a Test at Kensington since David Holford did so 25 years ago.

Skipper Hooper was upbeat about the role the 25-year-old Trinidadian could play in the next five days and beyond.

Even though Ramnarine has got about eight wickets (in the series), I am not 100 per cent convinced that South Africa are totally on top of him. Hooper said.

He can remain a trump card for the next couple of matches.

As Hooper spoke to reporters after the West Indies team completed a fielding session at Kensington Oval, he was confident about the positive result West Indies needed to draw level with South Africa in the five-match series.

I'm still fairly optimistic over the showing of the team, the captain said in spite of the West Indies' 69-run defeat in a competitive second Test in Trinidad.

We've looked good in nine days of Test cricket. We had one bad day. As I said before, I'm very optimistic about this Test match and hopefully we can try and pull back one and go 1-1 to Antigua.