Total rubbish!

... Samuels dismisses speculation that fear of Indian police led him to decline World Cup offer

Jermaine Lannaman, Gleaner Writer

Jamaica batsman Marlon Samuels has dismissed suggestions that the reason for him not taking up the offer to replace Dwayne Bravo in the West Indies team at the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup in India resulted from fears that he may be arrested by police in that country.

Samuels and other members of the Jamaica senior cricket team returned to the island yesterday, after playing three matches abroad in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Four-day Tournament.

In an interview at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, the in-form right-handed batsman said the suggestion is ridiculous, as he was innocent as it relates to the charges laid against him in 2007 by the ICC for passing on information to an Indian bookmaker.

"That is just speculation. Total rubbish. It is a shocker to a lot of people that I turned down the offer, but it has nothing to do with fears of going back to India as I have done nothing wrong," Samuels told The Gleaner yesterday.

Two year ban

The ICC, who were presented with copies of taped conversations between Samuels and a bookmaker by Delhi police during a hearing into the allegations, banned Samuels in 2008 for two years for "directly or indirectly engaging in conduct prejudicial to the game".

Samuels, however, says he is looking forward to return to India.

"Since the ban was issued nobody from India has contacted me and I have no fear that anyone will in the future. In fact, I look forward to returning to India one day," he said.

"It is just that some persons, especially in the media, are saying things so as to get media attention and for the hype, as at this moment it is easy to get a hype off Marlon Samuels," added the 30-year-old.

In an article published in the Trinidad Express newspaper on Monday, renowned cricket commentator and writer Tony Cozier, who is in India covering the World Cup, suggested that Samuels might have declined the WICB selection committee's offer because he feared being arrested by police in India.

Cozier wrote: "Samuels has taken the same course as that of South African players Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje, who were both implicated in the match-fixing scandal that led to a life ban for the late captain, Hansie Cronje.

"They chose not to return to India for fear of arrest, until they were given assurances by the Indian police prior to their return for the 2006 Champions Trophy."

Cricketing decision

Samuels, the leading run-scorer in the ongoing WICB tournament, reinforced that the decision was purely a cricketing one.

"I said about a month ago when the West Indies team was selected that I was not disappointed, as although I finished the Caribbean Twenty20 tournament as the leading run-scorer, I did not think that I was 100 per cent ready," he said.

"I explained that I wanted to focus on playing a full first-class season, something I have never done before."

Samuels added: "I also wanted to improve my first-class average and make sure that if and when I return to international cricket I would be in a position to make a big impact, as first-class bowling and international bowling are different.

"So I don't really understand where these things are coming from when all I am trying to do is being honest with myself as to where I am in my career and want to be," he declared.