Chanderpaul dropped for Australia series

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, arguably the most consistent batsman for the Windies in recent times, has been dropped from the squad for the upcoming series against Australia next month.

This was confirmed by chairman of selectors, Clive Lloyd, at a hastily arranged media conference here Sunday evening. Lloyd said Chanderpaul’s form had declined and selectors had taken the decision to look to the future.

“Over a period of time, we have noticed a decline in his form and for the last 11 innings he has been averaging 16 and we thought the time had come to look towards the younger players,” Lloyd told journalists at the Accra Hotel in Jamaica.

Chanderpaul is just 45 runs from Brian Lara’s record 11,912 Test runs by a West Indian but poor form appears set to deny him the chance to eclipse that tally.

In 164 Tests Chanderpaul has scored 11,867 Test runs at 51.37 including 30 centuries. Chanderpaul has scored five hundreds in 20 Tests against Australia, including a 69-ball ton in 2003.

But the gutsy left-hander made just 96 runs in the recent three-Test series against England and failed to pass 50.

“You can’t play players if they’re nearing a record, if they’re not producing,” added Lloyd, who played his last Test aged 40 against Australia in Sydney in 1984.

“He’s an icon in so far as cricket is concerned but there comes a time when we would have to say ‘thanks very much’. It comes to all of us. If it does happen you have to move on and you have to accept certain things in life.”

“We recognise the significant contribution Chanderpaul has made to the West Indies’ teams over the last two decades, but we want to take this opportunity to introduce a number of young, promising players into the squad.”

West Indies training squad Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Veerasammy Permaul, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor