West Indies 'B' team to be named

After taking steps to ensure this year's West Indies `B' team would be picked at a much more opportune time than in the past two seasons, the selection process has been delayed.

With the 2003 West Indies first-class championships set to start on January 31, the selectors were schedule to pick the `B' last Friday, but it never materialised.

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief cricket operations officer Michael Hall is hopeful the process would nowbe completed today.

"I arranged a teleconference for all the people involved in the selection process. It was set up for [last] Friday afternoon and it just didn't happen," Hall told NATIONSPORT from Antigua yesterday.

"I don't know why, but we are attempting to do it again tomorrow [this] morning at 9:30."

In the previous two seasons, the West Indies `B' team, a side comprising promising Under-23 regional players who are unable to make their territorial teams, was named a mere few days before the start of the championship.

"Over the last two years, the `B' team has been picked hurriedly and we are not too pleased with that ad hoc approach to its selection," WICB president Wes Hall said last November.

"Because this is a World Cup year and some of the territorial teams will be affected by the absence of leading players, we wanted to devise a mechanism for selecting the `B' team that would be fair to the territories and meet the objective of ensuring that those selected would represent a competitive team comprised of the region's best young players."

As a result, the WICB requested territorial boards to submit their squads by January 15 with the intention of picking the `B' team two days later.

All but the Windward Islands have handed in squads, Hall revealed.

"The Windwards were granted an exemption because of the timing of their championships," the WICB cricket cricket operations officer said.

"I am told I will get their team this [yesterday] afternoon or tomorrow [today]. They managed to meet the deadline for submitting the nominees for the `B' team."

With the `B' team now expected to be announced today, Hall said it was anticipated the players would assemble in Barbados for a preparatory camp by at least Friday.

"The expectation is that we will get the team to the site of its first venue no less than a week before its first match, but if possible maybe a little earlier than that," he said.

"I don't think we will have a situation like last year. Last year the team gathered two days before its first game. We are trying to avoid that."