Richards called up for Kensington Test

EXPERIENCED BARBADIAN opener Dale Richards has replaced struggling opener Travis Dowlin in the West Indies squad for the third and final Digicel Test against South Africa starting at Kensington Oval on Saturday.Richards, who showed signs of form in the five-match One-Day International series in which West Indies suffered a whitewash at the hands at the Proteas, has been recalled for the Test before his home crowd. The 33-year-old right-hander stroked two half-centuries in gathering 157 runs in four matches at an average of 39. He played two Tests last year against Bangladesh during the strike by top Windies players, scoring a half-century in the second Test in Grenada.Dowlin had a wretched time in the first two Tests. He scored four and one as West Indies slid to a heavy 163-run defeat in the first match in Trinidad and Tobago, and managed just ten in the drawn second game in St Kitts which finished on Tuesday.Richards’ selection ended speculation that 20-year-old Trinidadian opener Adrian Barath would have been called up, after spending several weeks on the sideline with injury.Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul has been left out of the squad after picking up a side strain in the second Test, and has returned home to Trinidad to undergo therapy.Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin has been retained despite his poor form that has yielded a miserable 131 runs from his last eight innings. He averages 23 after 41 Tests but remains preferred to Jamaican Carlton Baugh. (CMC/EZS)