Windies set for Dubai camp

ST JOHN'S, Antigua, (CMC):

West Indies will use a camp in Dubai as their final preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup in India starting in March.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said yesterday that the 15-man squad would be engaged in a camp there from February 22 to March 6, before heading to Kolkata for the official warm-up matches.

They clash with India on March 10 and take on South Africa three days later. West Indies have been drawn in Group 1 of the preliminary stage of the T20 World Cup alongside England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and a yet-to-be determined qualifier. The WICB finally confirmed the 15-man squad Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday.

The squad, which will be led by Darren Sammy, had been leaked by several media organisations earlier this week.

As expected, the unit features the core of the side which captured the title four years ago in Sri Lanka, when they beat the hosts in a dramatic final. Superstar opener Chris Gayle, all-rounders AndrE Russell and Dwayne Bravo, along with Kieron Pollard have all been included.

Off-spinner Sunil Narine has also been named in the squad, but will undergo a test on his action next month before he can be confirmed.

SQUAD: Darren Sammy (captain), Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, AndrE Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, AndrE Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, and Jerome Taylor.