After being out of the ODI side for more than two years, ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle is all set to don the maroon jersey of the Windies Cricket Team. On August 21, the West Indies Cricket board announced a 15-membered squad for the five-match ODI bilateral series against England and Gayle has found a spot. Along with him, all-rounder Marlon Samuels and speedster Jerome Taylor will be making a comeback in the squad after almost a year.
On the other hand, DJ Bravo, who played his last ODI game in 2014 against India, has to wait for a bit more to get a spot in the squad. As per the reports by leading cricket website Cricbuzz, the chairman of the Windies selection panel Courtney Browne has confirmed that Bravo is not fully fit yet and hence was not selected.
Uncapped player from Guyana, Sunil Ambris has got the maiden ODI call while other big names like Darren Bravo, Sunil Narine and Carlos Brathwaite have not found a place in the team.
The reports also quoted Courtney Browne as saying,”The panel welcomes back Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, who will both add value to our batting and help with the nurturing of the young batsmen in the team.”
“Both Sunil Narine and Darren Bravo have declined to be considered for ODIs in England. Narine has however confirmed his desire to play 50-over cricket in our Regional Super50 and Darren said he was not available for selection. Dwayne Bravo said he is still not 100% fit.”
Probably with the inclusion of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels in the team, the Windies cricket will get their lost charm back. Chris Gayle played the last ODI way back in World Cup 2015 held in Australia. He appeared in the quarter-final clash against New Zealand. Samuels’s last outing for the national side came in October last year against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.
Jason Holder & Co. will eye on direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup after falling to the ninth position in the ODI rankings with 78 points.
Squad: Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Miguel Cummins, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder (captain), Kyle Hope, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed (Vice Captain), Ashley Nurse, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor and Kesrick Williams.
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