By Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
Hendriks
YOUNG BATTING star Marlon Samuels left the island yesterday in a strong Jamaica 13-man squad for their opening round Carib Beer Series match against the Leeward Islands in Anguilla, which starts tomorrow.
On Tuesday, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) endorsed the regional selectors' decision to withdraw the injured Samuels from the World Cup squad and urged the young batting star not to compete in the Carib Beer Series tournament.
However, Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) president Jackie Hendriks said yesterday he was not aware of the WICB's position on selecting Samuels to the Jamaica squad.
"I was at Sabina Park to see the Jamaica squad off (on Tuesday) and I didn't know about the statements made by the WICB until I saw the newspaper," Hendriks said.
"I would like to see whatever is done, be done in the best interest of Marlon Samuels," he said.
"If we had known about the WICB statement earlier, it would be possible that the JCA would have withdrawn him (Marlon) from the Jamaica squad," he said.
"We really wanted Marlon to go to New York on Friday to see Dr. Ainsworth Allen, but he was adamant and wanted to go and see his doctor in Washington."
Speaking on behalf of the WICB, acting chief executive officer Roger Brathwaite said urgent medical attention should be the Samuels' priority.
"The board feels strongly that it is not in Marlon's best interest for him to compete in the upcoming Carib Beer Cricket Series," Brathwaite said.
However, a CMC story stated that the young Jamaican batsman said he was fit enough to play cricket. He went on to say he is physically better now than he was when recalled to international cricket late last year.
"The truth is, in India I was just coming back and honestly I wasn't 100 per cent, I was about 50 - right now, for me, I am 100 per cent," Samuels said.
The rest of the squad is - Robert Samuels (captain), Leon Garrick, Brenton Parchment, Mario Ventura, David Bernard Jr., Keith Hibbert, Nehemiah Perry, Daren Powell, Ryan Cunningham, Jerome Taylor, Donovan Pagon and Franklyn Rose.
