Cummins dropped

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Ineffective fast bowler Miguel Cummins has been dropped from the West Indies 13-man squad for the second Test against India that starts on Friday in Jamaica.

Cummins had surprisingly replaced the injured Keemo Paul in the squad for the first Test in Antigua, and then strangely preferred to off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall in the starting line-up.

Paul, who subbed in the field during that Test, replaces Cummins in the squad. He has recovered from the ankle injury that affected him in Antigua. Cummins gave a forgettable display in Antigua where he failed to take a single wicket in 20 insipid overs. He has struggled in Test cricket so far, playing 14 matches and taking 27 wickets at an average of 40.14 with one five-wicket haul.

Wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton has also been called up to the West Indies 13-man squad for this week’s decisive second Test after regular wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich was ruled out of the series with an ankle injury.

Dowrich sat out the opening Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground last week when the hosts suffered a chastening 318-run defeat inside four days, with Shai Hope standing in with the gloves.

With Dowrich now returning to Barbados to continue his recovery, Hamilton has been included in the team that was announced today.

The uncapped 28-year-old Leeward Islands Hurricanes gloveman has played 80 first-class matches and accumulated 173 dismissals. He averages 26 with the bat and has scored six hundreds.

Hamilton featured for West Indies A in two of the three four-day “Tests” against touring India A, scraping just 36 runs from four innings.

The two changes are the only ones to the Windies side as they go in search of a series-levelling victory at Sabina Park.

West Indies suffered an extraordinary batting collapse on the penultimate day of the opening Test, slumping to 100 all out in pursuit of 419 for victory, to hand India their largest-ever away victory in terms of runs.

The result left the Windies without a Test win over India in 22 matches over the last 17 years.

SQUAD – Jason Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Darren Bravo, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Shamarh Brooks, Jahmar Hamilton, Rahkeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Keemo Paul. (CMC/WG)