(SportsMax)-The group of players who recently declined to represent the West Indies in the upcoming ICC World Cup Qualifiers will no longer be considered for selection to the regional team without first providing formal indication of a desire to return.
The cricketers, which include Trinidadians Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Darren Bravo and Jamaica all-rounder Andre Russell indicated that they would not be available to represent the region in upcoming World Cup qualifiers, as it would conflict with their participation in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
The qualifiers, which begins in Zimbabwe on March 1, will represent a last chance saloon for the regional team who missed out on qualification to the premier event after falling outside of the world’s top eight by the September 30 deadline.
In order to make an appearance at the global tournament in England next year the Windies, two-time champions, must now finish in the top two from the ten-team qualifier.
While insisting that the player’s decision to skip the tournament was respected Grave insisted they could no longer be considered as automatic choices.
“The players that have chosen to not be available need to tell us if that changes,” Grave told SportsMax Zone.
“It’s a huge honour to play for the West Indies cricket team and they have represented the West Indies proudly in many respects for many years. We are not taking that away from them at all and we respect their decision if they no longer wish to do so but moving forward the onus will be very much on them to inform us if they are willing to come back. The selectors and the management will then have to take a view as to what they will need to do to prove their commitment,” he added.
“We have been clear that we respect the decision but we will also be very clear that on the back of them choosing not to go to the World Cup qualifiers they will need to formally write to the chairman of selectors if they wish to return to the West Indies side.”
The bottom four teams in the ICC ODI Championship ranking will be joined by the top four teams from the 2015–17 ICC World Cricket League Championship and the two finalists of the 2018 ICC World Cricket League Division Two for the qualifying tournament.
