Ashley Nurse has been left out in the cold.
The West Indies Cricket Board’s selection panel has named left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin as a replacement for the Bajan off-spinner in the squad for the two T20 Internationals in England next week due to fitness concerns.
Nurse was withdrawn from the squad after failing to meet the required fitness standard during the ongoing West Indies team camp here at the 3Ws Oval.
Mathurin, a 27-year-old from St Lucia, started playing at the regional level in 2007 and has been a steady member of the Windward Islands team.
He joined the West Indies camp on Friday and leaves with the team for England today.
“I’m ecstatic . . . really delighted to be picked in the West Indies team. It was totally unexpected. The team was picked a few weeks ago and obviously, I was not included so I went back to the drawing board and continued to work,” said Mathurin.
“I see this as an opportunity given to me to represent the people of the Caribbean and I’m looking to have a good tour. I’m looking forward to fitting into the new environment and working with the coach and the other members of the team.”
An accurate, tight left-arm spinner with the ability to bowl long spells, Mathurin has played 11 first-class matches, taking 40 wickets at 22.15 runs each. His best figures of seven for 72 came against England Lions at Windsor Park in Dominica in the WICB four-day tournament earlier this year.
The selection comes as an early birthday present for Mathurin, who celebrates his 28th birthday on Friday.
He is just the third St Lucian to be picked for the West Indies, following captain Darren Sammy and top-order batsman Johnson Charles.
“In T20 cricket it’s all about looking to get runs as quickly as possible so the aim of the bowler is to keep the batsmen in check and restrict the scoring,” said Mathurin.
“My main asset is my ability to keep it tight and build pressure on the batsmen. I see this as my job in the team. Also, I know I have to contribute with the bat and I’m always looking to see what I can do to contribute to the team.”
The West Indies were slated to play a warm-up match against Sagicor HPC yesterday at the 3Ws Oval. (JM/PR)
