Published: Apr 14, 2016, 09:03 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 14, 2016, 09:03 PM (IST)
Melbourne: West Indies coach Phil Simmons has requested the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to pick Chris Gayle and T20I skipper Darren Sammy for the upcoming tri-series, saying that the other two teams will find it easier to beat the Caribbean side without the services of these star players. Simmons’ comments came in the wake of talks that the players would not be selected for the upcoming international series until they would feature in the Super 50 (country’s domestic tournament). READ: Darren Sammy, Phil Simmons back Marlon Samuels over his remarks on Shane Warne after T20 World Cup 2016 final
The 52-year-old also believes that there was an immediate need to review the board’s current policy, which demands a heavy presence of the players in domestic cricket before getting eligible for international selection, news.com.au reported. West Indies are currently ninth in the ODI rankings and have to climb back into the top eight if they want to qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup in England.
Simmons stressed that his side had to keep winning in order to move up in the table, insisting that it could not be done without the presence of key players in the team. Referring to the ongoing pay dispute between the board and the players, the coach said that his players still remain passionate about representing their country despite the ongoing difficulties. READ: ICC T20 World Cup 2016: Chris Gayle as great as Viv Richards, says Phil Simmons
West Indies will host Australia and England in One Day International (ODI) tri-series, starting from June 6 in Guyana. Sammy and Gayle do not often play in the ODI team, but following some good performances in the shortest format, they might find themselves in the 50-over fixture as well.
