West Indies batting legend Brian Lara would like to see the return of all-rounders Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo for next month’s Tri-nation series involving Australia and South Africa.
Both players have been overlooked by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) selectors for One-Day Internationals (ODIs) since the controversial abandoned limited overs tour of India two years ago.
Lara said having the two hard-hitting batsmen involved in Twenty20 ODIs alone was a backward step.
“In terms of the Tri-Nations series, I think it’s going to be pretty exciting,” the former West Indies captain said adding, “to just have them for the T20 version, I think, is doing a disservice to West Indies cricket.”
Bravo is a veteran of 164 ODIs and is just 32 runs short of 3,000 runs and one wicket shy of 200 scalps in the format, while Pollard has struck three centuries in 91 ODIs and taken 44 wickets with his slow medium.
Under the WICB regulations, neither player is eligible for the tournament after failing to participate in January’s Regional Super50.
The Tri-Nations series, which runs from June 3-26 in Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis and Barbados, will act as a precursor to a tour Test series against the powerful Indians starting in July.
Lara, who scored 11,953 runs from 131 Tests, believes West Indies will have to be at their best against an in-form Indian side, despite having the advantage of home conditions.
