Shannon Gabriel likely to be drafted for Windies tour of England: coach Phil Simmons
Manchester/UNI: Pace bowler Shannon Gabriel, who was initially named in the reserve squad of players for West Indies' tour of England as he was recovering from an ankle injury, is likely to be added to the main Test squad.
Shannon, the top wicket-taker for West Indies in Tests since 2013 has impressed head coach Phil Simmons in the nets.
"Yes, there is a possibility of Shannon Gabriel joining the touring party," Simmons said. "He's one of West Indies' prominent fast bowlers coming back from injury and we just had to make sure that he was fit enough to work through the tour.
"The last week he's been at full tilt and he looks fit. He looks good. He's bowling as fast as I've seen him for a while so he's ready and close enough to the Test match."
Gabriel underwent surgery last November for an ankle injury and was in a six-month rehabilitation programme thereafter. As his recovery had only just completed, West Indies chose to name him in the reserve list of players for the tour of England, but he has shown promising signs.
"When leaving home, 14 were named in the squad. Because of Shannon [Gabriel] coming back from his injury, we had to let him get a little bit further and see how he is and then we'll decide whether to make it a 15-member squad. After that, injuries might be the cause for changes," Simmons said.
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