Aug 27th, Antigua:
Fast
bowler Jermaine Lawson will be replaced by
all-rounder Darren Sammy in West Indies' squad
for next month's ICC Champions Trophy limited-overs
cricket series in Britain. The 22-year-old
Lawson is out of action for at least six weeks
with a newly diagnosed stress fracture of the
lower back and the ICC approved Sammy as his
replacement. The 20-year-old Sammy is the
first international cricketer to emerge from
St Lucia and has officially, if not actually,
made his limited-overs international debut for
West Indies.
Sammy was set to play against New Zealand
at Southampton during the recent three-nation
series in Britain, but the match was abandoned
without a ball being bowled because of rain.
Fortunately, the toss had been spun in
anticipation of a reduced match, and under new
ICC regulations, the match counted in the
records since the toss had taken place.
The West Indies' replacement is only the
latest approved by the Event's Technical
Committee, comprising former South Africa
wicketkeeper/ batsman David Richardson, now
ICC General Manager-Cricket (or his nominee)
as chairman, David Clarke, ECB tournament
director, Campbell Jamieson, IDI Commercial
Manager, John Carr, ECB director of cricket,
former India batting great and captain Sunil
Gavaskar, along with former West Indies fast
bowler Michael Holding.
The committee has approved requests from three
other countries for the replacement of players
in their 14-member squads for the tournament.