West Indies ask Walsh to go on Zimbabwe tour, says Dujon

Courtney Walsh, Test cricket's leading wicket-taker, has been asked by West Indies officials to postpone his retirement and tour Zimbabwe in July, said assistant coach Jeff Dujon.

Walsh, with 519 victims in 132 matches, said last month's Fifth Test against South Africa in his native Jamaica would be his last unless he were required in a crisis. Having lost 18 of their 20 latest Tests overseas, the West Indies may be in danger of losing to cricket's second-lowest ranked country.

"He's the type of person that if he was really needed, he would seriously consider it," said Dujon, a former Jamaica and West Indies teammate. "I think he might go."

The West Indies lost the South African series 2-1, only their second home defeat in 28 years. Walsh, 38, was the best bowler on either side, taking 25 wickets at an average of 19.68. He has a strike rate of less than 20 in the past two years.

"He's not been smashed around and the fact that he's never played in Zimbabwe may be a temptation," said Dujon, who played in 81 Tests. Dujon was speaking at a coaching conference in Telford in England.

The West Indies begin their first tour of Zimbabwe on June 17 and play a one-day tournament, also involving India, before the July 19-23 and 27-31 Test matches in Bulawayo and Harare. Walsh would only play in the Tests.

The Zimbabweans will be looking for revenge. The teams have met twice in Tests, the West Indies winning both matches at home last year, by 35 runs in Trinidad and by ten wickets in Jamaica. They also beat Zimbabwe in three of the four one-day games in Australia this year.

Walsh, who made his Test debut in 1984, is spending time with his family and has indicated he would soon like to get a coaching certificate to develop youngsters in the sport.

Before that though, he has the incentive of extending his lead over Kapil Dev, the second-highest wicket-taker with 434 Test victims. The closest rival still playing is Wasim Akram who has 409.

"I hope Courtney will be there - at least every time he takes a wicket he'd be breaking the world record," Dujon said.