Melbourne: West Indies coach Phil Simmons has requested the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to pick Chris Gayle and T20 skipper Darren Sammy for the upcoming tri-series, saying that the other two teams will find it easier to beat the Caribbean side without the services of these star players.
Simmons` comments came in the wake of talks that the players would not be selected for the upcoming international series until they would feature in the Super 50 (country`s domestic tournament).
The 52-year-old also believes that there was an immediate need to review the board`s current policy, which demands a heavy presence of the players in domestic cricket before getting eligible for international selection, news.com.au reported.
West Indies are currently ninth in the ODI rankings and have to climb back into the top eight if they want to qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup in England. Simmons stressed that his side had to keep winning in order to move up in the table, insisting that it could not be done without the presence of key players in the team.
Referring to the ongoing pay dispute between the board and the players, the coach said that his players still remain passionate about representing their country despite the ongoing difficulties.West Indies will host Australia and England in ODI tri-series, starting from June 6 in Guyana.
