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Sammy replaces Roach in Windies ODI squad

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Bridgetown (Barbados): All-rounder Darren Sammy has replaced Kemar Roach in the West Indies’ 15-member One-Day International (ODI) squad to face South Africa next month, in another twist in the ongoing selection sIndiaTv208101_sammyaga.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced the move Wednesday, even as allegations of victimisation regarding Sammy and fellow all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, continued to swirl around the region, as per reports.

Sammy, Bravo and Pollard were all left out of the initial 14-man squad announced last Saturday, prompting the players’ attorney Ralph Thorne to accuse the WICB of victimisation, stemming from their roles in the abandoned tour of India last October.

“It becomes cynical, it is an insidious form of victimisation. It doesn’t make sense to include them in the 30-man squad for the World Cup – three very, very senior players – and then relegate them to mere T20 participation. It doesn’t make sense,” the prominent Queen’s Counsel complained in a recent radio interview here.

“It seems to me to be a mild form of ruthlessness that has been visited on these three players, because it really disqualifies them from any meaningful opportunity to get into the World Cup squad next year.”

However, with Roach ruled out of the Test series after failing to recover from an ankle injury sustained on the opening day of the first Test in Centurion, selectors have turned to Sammy again.

The 31-year-old, sacked as captain last year in favour of Bravo, has played 115 ODIs but boasts a modest record. He averages of 23 with the bat and 44 with the ball but can be a powerful lower-order batsman and a steady medium pacer.

He joins a unit led by 23-year-old fast bowler Jason Holder who was announced to replace Bravo as captain, in a shock move by the -led selection panel.

Despite missing out on the ODI squad, Bravo and Pollard have been named in the T20 squad for the three-match series against South Africa which precedes the ODI tour.

The T20 series runs from Jan 9-14 with the five-match ODI tour bowling off two days later in Durban.

Squad: Jason Holder (Captain), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Narsingh Deonarine, Leon Johnson, Chris Gayle, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.

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Sunil Gavaskar gives his opinion of GT allrounder Rahul Tewatia

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The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.

Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.

Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”

Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.

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