Cricket by Dalchand Bissoon
Sulieman Benn, the 33-year-old left-arm leg spinner, has joined the West Indies squad for the upcoming five-match One-Day Internationals against India which started yesterday in Kochi, India.
Benn replaces off spinner Sunil Narine who was banned from bowling in the finals of the Champions League T20 tournament and was subsequently withdrawn from the India tour by the West Indies Cricket Board.
Narine who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders was reported for a second time in two matches for a suspect action.
West Indies Chairman of Selectors Clive Lloyd was unhappy about the Champions League T20 procedure for dealing with suspect actions.
“I am quite disappointed about the procedure that surrounded the “calling” of Sunil in the Champions Trophy tournament. He has been bowling over the years with the same sort of action. Now all of a sudden it has changed. What has changed, I don’t know,” Lloyd said.
Meanwhile, the West Indies started their tour of India on a losing note as they lost the first and second warm-up matches against India A team in Mumbai. In the first match on Oct. 3, the West Indies lost by nine wickets. West Indies scored 148 all out in 38.1 overs. India A in reply scored 149 for one wicket in 25.3 overs.
In the second warm-up match on Oct. 5, the Windies lost by 16 runs. India A scored 282 all out in 48.1 overs. West Indies in reply scored 266 for nine wickets in 50 overs with West Indies Test captain Denesh Ramdin scoring a century (102).
The West Indies will play five ODIs, one T20I and three Tests on their tour of India.