ESPNcricinfo
A return to the West Indies ODI team is a distinct possibility for the Bravo brothers, Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard, following discussions between the players and Cricket West Indies (CWI). The development could potentially pave the way for the players to be involved in the 2019 World Cup.
The development has been aided by a board decision to move their next domestic 50-over competition to October this year, instead of February 2019 – a switch that means there will be minimal clash between the Super50 and the various domestic Twenty20 leagues Caribbean stars are such an integral part of.
The players have been asked to play in the Super50, perform and push for a recall.
“The overall message to Pollard, the Bravo brothers and Narine was ‘come and play in the Super50 Cup’, so that Courtney [Browne, chairman of selectors] and his selection panel will have all the players in system playing,” Johnny Grave, board CEO, told ESPNcricinfo.
“This will not only increase the standard and hopefully give the panel a headache but will help our selectors better gauge and assess our young players if they’re scoring runs against Dwayne Bravo or Sunil in the final overs or getting Darren [Bravo] and Pollard out.”
Browne told ESPNcricinfo he was looking forward to seeing the players in action. “It’s a very important tournament for us in preparation for the World Cup. People that want to put their names in the hat for consideration would need to play Super50 and perform.”
Although far from resolved, this would represent a distinct thaw in the relationship between the board and players in what has been a difficult year. It began with Narine, Pollard and Darren Bravo choosing the PSL over helping West Indies in their World Cup Qualifiers, a decision that left Grave and CWI “hugely disappointed”.
Matters escalated in April when the Bravo brothers, Pollard and Narine claimed they were denied an opportunity to help the Caribbean after being ignored for a Hurricane Relief charity game between West Indies and a World XI side.