Sunil Ambris part of WI batting camp

Vincentian Sunil Ambris, who was forced to cut short his tour to New Zealand last December with the West Indies, after suffering a broken arm, is still on the radar of the regional selectors.
Ambris, for the past week, was among 11 batsmen who were engaged in a batting camp in Barbados, at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cricket Ground, ahead of Sri Lanka’s tour to the Caribbean.

A right-handed batsman, Ambris had an inauspicious start to test cricket, when he was out twice hit-wicket, then broke his left arm after being hit by a short delivery from New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner.

Ambris returned to competitive cricket two weekends ago, when he played in the National Lotteries Authority Neil Williams T/20 competition for his club Guardian General Saints, and in the National Club Champions, for Team Rivals.

Also on that weekend, he tested out his hand playing softball cricket for Country Meet Town Outa Trouble One in the Richland Park competition.

Ambris, who turned 25 last March, joined eight other batsmen with test experience in the camp, which was under the guidance of West Indies A team coach Floyd Reifer.
Among them was fellow Windward Islands Volcanoes batsman, Grenadian, Devon Smith.

The left-handed Smith, who is 36, last played for the West Indies three years ago.

Smith, in the 2017/2018 Regional four- day cricket tournament, scored 1,095 runs, at an average of 84.23, inclusive of six centuries and one half century.

Other than Ambris and Smith, other test players who were part of the camp are West Indies test vice-captain Kraigg Braithwaite, along with Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Kieran Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jermaine Blackwood, Raymon Reifer and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich.

The list is completed by West Indies ‘A’ wicketkeeper/batsman Jahmar Hamilton.

West Indies will take on Sri Lanka in three Tests, which run from June 6 to 27, with matches set for Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago, the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia and Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The final Test at the Oval will be an historic day/night affair.