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After 46 days in exile, Suleiman Benn is back, and so is his dream to eventually wear the West Indies' maroon blazer.

Banished from the Barbados cricket training programme on November 2 after a series of disciplinary problems, and ordered to receive counselling, the 6-foot 7-inch allrounder has now been included in the group of players selected for the final trial match before selection of the national squad for the 2003-4 four-day regional tournament.

Benn was forced to miss the just concluded Arawak Cement Zonal tournament when he was excluded from a 56-player format.

"I feel really good about this," a delighted Benn told the DAILY NATION yesterday. "A lot of people in Barbados thought this [his suspension from the team] would have been something permanent, that I would have never played again.

"It only proves that if you give people a chance after doing something wrong, it's an opportunity for them to prove they can recover from making amistake. That's what Iplan to do."

In a release from the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) yesterday, it was revealed that Benn's counsellor advised them the left-arm spinner was now better equipped to cope with the pressures of the game in ways that would not bring himself, the team or his country into disrepute.

He has now been included in the 26-man squad by the BCA's selection committee for the final trial game which starts tomorrow at the Windward Cricket Club, running until Sunday.

According to Benn, it was extremely difficult being forced into being a mere fan of the game: "It was hard to watch cricket. Going around the grounds and watching the game from the outside, and realising you can't have an impact on the field, really opened my eyes," Benn said.

"It made me realise I could still be a good cricketer for Barbados, and by extension for the West Indies. I still plan to be an ambassador on and off the field for Barbados and the West Indies."

Benn said he was feeling much better after suffering a slight knee injury a fortnight ago. "The knee is coming on pretty well. I've been training on the beach almost every morning, and Jackie King has done a tremendous job with physiotherapy, so I should be fine."

The outspoken cricketer said attending counselling was a godsend: "It helped me express myself, and showed me in a clearer light things which had let me down in the past. That was very important in allowing me to moveforward, and put thepast behind me."

According to Benn, he is now better able to face the behavioural problems he suffered before, and overcome similar problems in the future.

The teams:

Hinds' X1: Ryan Hinds (capt), Sherwin Campbell, Randy Thomas, Martin Nurse, Kurt Wilkinson, Alcindo Holder, Ryan Hurley, Carlo Morris, Suleiman Benn, Tino Best, Fidel Edwards, Ryan Nurse and Ruel Brathwaite.

Browne X1: Courtney Browne (capt), Philo Wallace, Jason Haynes, Mwangi Broomes, Dwayne Smith, Floyd Reifer, Shirley Clarke, Ian Bradshaw, Anderson Sealy, Ryan Austin, Callitos Lopez, Antonio Thomas and Dave Marshall.

© Barbados Nation