Pope in West Indies U-19 training squad… Peters sidelined from seniors

Young Vincentian left handed opening batsman – Gidron Pope is part of the West Indies Under-19 training squad, but there is no place for fellow Vincentian – Kenroy Peters in the senior squad’s training set up.{{more}}

Pope is among 15 players who are in camp at the West Indies High Performance Centre, located at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies. The camp, which got started last Sunday, ends April 11.

The young players are preparing for the ICC Youth World Cup set for Bangladesh in February 2016.

But this not the final chance for Pope and the others to impress the selection panel, as they have the West Indies regional tournament from July 20 to August 16, to further showcase their wares.

Peters however has not had the same fortune, as he was not included among 20 senior players for a similar camp in preparation for the upcoming tour of the Caribbean by England from this month.

His omission is against the background that he copped the most wickets for fast bowlers in the just concluded 2014- 2015 Professional Cricket League.

A left arm pacer, Peters captured 37 wickets from his nine matches for the Windwards Volcanoes at the cost of 14.16 runs each.

In all, the 33-year-old Peters bowled in 17 innings, sending down 217.4 overs, 62 of which were maidens and conceded 524 runs.

Peters, who was the leading bowler overall in the 2014 regional four-day tournament with 40 wickets, was this time around sixth on the list on the extended 2014-2015 season.

He trailed spinners, Vereesammy Permaul (67), Devendra Bishoo (61), Imran Khan (56), Jomel Warrican (49) and Damion Jacobs (48).

Peters’ success did not matter, as the Barbadian pair of Carlos Braithwaite with 19 scalps at 18.78 apiece and Miguel Cummings 18 wickets at an average of 26 runs each, have been included among the 20 for the training squad.

Also among the 20 is Trinidad and Tobago’s Shannon Gabriel whose six matches saw him taking a mere 13 wickets at the cost of 38 runs per wicket. Gabriel had 494 runs hit off his bowling from his 143 overs.

A late call up for the West Indies for the injured Kemar Roach, Peters appeared in one test in South Africa, taking 2 for 68 in his only bowling efforts but was dropped for the next test.

Like Peters, Volcanoes’ opening batsman Tyrone Theophile of Dominica, can also feel hard done by the selectors.

Theophile was second to fellow opening batsman Devon Smith as the leading run scorers for the 2014-2015 tournament. He scored 689 runs at an average of 43.06. Theophile’s tally included two centuries, similar returns to those of Shai Hope.

Hope, a Barbadian, scored 628 runs at an average of 44.85, which was able to land him a spot in the list of twenty players for the camp in Antigua from April 5.

The full squad reads: Sulieman Benn, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sheldon Cottrell, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Leon Johnson, Veerasammy Permaul, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Devon Smith and Jerome Taylor.

The first test takes place at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, April 13 to 17. (RT)