Hard-hitting Trinidadian all-rounder Kieron Pollard has been named on a 10 man reserve list of the West Indies players for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 which starts at the end of this month in England and Wales.
Pollard last played an ODI back in 2016 against Pakistan in the UAE and featured for the Windies last in November 2018 against India in the T20I series. Pollard was part of the title-winning Mumbai Indians (MI) side in the IPL 2019 and played a couple of game-changing knocks including one in the grand finale.
Dwayne Bravo is also on the list along with John Campbell, Sunil Ambris, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre and Raymon Reifer.
The 35-year-old Bravo, one of the premier short-format all-rounders in the game when at his peak, earlier quit international cricket after playing 40 Tests, 164 ODIs and 66 T20Is in October 2018.
Ambris and Reifer will also join the team’s four-day training camp which begins in Southampton on Sunday as the two-times champions continue their preparation for the marquee tournament. They were a part of the recently-concluded Tri-Nation ODI Series in Ireland. Ambris has been picked as cover for Evin Lewis, who has just recovered from a viral infection and Reifer will be the cover for the bowling unit as part of work-load management.
Addressing the reserve players, the Interim Chairman of Selectors, Robert Haynes said: “The choice of players in the reserve list is to really cover our bases and ensure we have a good balance in the pool of players that can be selected if replacements are required. We think the skill set in this pool is strong with a good blend of experience and upcoming young players who can be ready to contribute when required.”
Meanwhile, the four-day camp involving the Windies 15-man squad for the World Cup will include an additional warm-up game against Australia on Wednesday (May 22) at the Ageas Bowl.
The original Windies schedule was based in Bristol from May 23, with two official ICC Cricket World Cup warm-up matches against South Africa and New Zealand on May 26 and May 28 respectively.
Jason Holder & Co. will begin their 2019 World Cup campaign against Pakistan on May 31 at Trent Bridge.
Windies reserves list for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019:
Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Ambris, John Campbell, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Keemo Paul Khary Pierre and Raymon Reifer.
