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Experience, rather than record, and injuries, rather than form, have regained Sherwin Campbell his place in the West Indies team he had held for 21 consecutive Tests until a year ago.

The little 31-year-old Barbadian opener was chosen yesterday in the squad of 15 for the unique, rearranged series of two Tests and three One-day Internationals against Pakistan in the neutral location of the Arabian Gulf state of Sharjah, January 31 to February 17.

Campbell's selection came five days after he was hurriedly drafted into the pre-tour practice match in Port-of-Spain following the withdrawal of Ramnaresh Sarwan that further diminished the batting already without its linchpin, Brian Lara.

Once the selectors had made that decision, it was clear Campbell would be on the way to Sharjah to reboot a Test career that seemed at an end after he was overlooked for the home series against South Africa last season and subsequent tours of Zimbabwe, Kenya and Sri Lanka.

He played the last of his 51 Tests against Australia in Sydney in early January last year, scoring 79 and 54.

Younger players

By then, his overall average had plunged from the mid-40s at its peak to 32.82 and the selectors turned to younger alternatives, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Leon Garrick and Daren Ganga, for subsequent series.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the left-handed Guyanese batsman with 49 Tests to his name, and Cameron Cuffy, the towering, 32-year-old Vincentian fast bowler whose spasmodic international career started seven years ago, both return as well for the short Sharjah assignment.

Their absence in Sri Lanka was on medical, not selectorial, grounds, Chanderpaul with back pains, Cuffy with a stress fracture of the left foot.

Like Campbell, they add experience to a team weakened not only by the crippling absence of Lara, who reclaimed the No. 1 position in the world batting ratings after a phenomenal series in Sri Lanka, and Sarwan but injured fast bowlers Reon King and Colin Stuart as well.

Without Lara, Campbell and Chanderpaul will give the batting a more seasoned look.

Lara had already been eliminated by the dislocated and fractured left elbow sustained December 15 in a One-Day International against Sri Lanka when Sarwan presented the doctor's negative report to shocked selectors last week.

So they sought a batsman to fill the breach who had been there, done that.

The only one

Short of summoning former captain Jimmy Adams from his contract with Free State in South Africa or asking Desmond Haynes to excuse himself from Senate duties Campbell was the only one with as many Tests, or One-Day Internationals (90), on his CV.

He has had six Tests against Pakistan, averaging 32, played in two One-Day International tournaments in Sharjah, and was rated highly enough as a leader to be team vice-captain.

The left-handed Gayle, 22, and the right-handed Ganga, 23, the opening pair in the past five Tests, are in the 15. But, after a successful start in Zimbabwe and Kenya, both had poor series in Sri Lanka and one or the other could make way for Campbell.

Garrick, the diminutive, 24-year-old Jamaican opener, has been stood down, having had hardly any opportunity on tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya (where he played three first-class matches and a One-Day International) and Sri Lanka (where he did not play before coming home with a heart problem).

Hinds solid

Hinds was the only batsman to capably deal with the reportedly testing conditions in the two trial matches in Port-of-Spain over the weekend, scoring 76 and 62 not out, and should regain the No. 3 position he occupied when he hit 165 against the Pakistanis in the Kensington Test, his fifth, in 2000.

Fast bowlers Merv Dillon,the disciplinary matter that brought his dismissal from the Sri Lankan tour now behind him, left-armer Pedro Collins and Corey Collymore are retained from the 21 that was the eventual number of the changing cast in Sri Lanka.

They join Cuffy as captain Carl Hooper's fast bowling options.

All-rounders Darrell Brown (left-hand bat, right-arm medium-pace) and Ryan Hinds (left-hand bat and spinner and unrelated to Wavell) made their debuts after they were rushed to Sri Lanka as late replacements and keep their places. Their role now, as it was then, is likely to be confined to the shorter game.

Leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine has seemingly recovered from the strained side muscles that prematurely ended both his tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka and is the only specialist spinner chosen.

It is a limitation that may be regretted on pitches in Sharjah only ever prepared for One-Day Internationals.

Squad: Carl Hooper (captain), Ridley Jacobs (vice-captain), Darrell Brown, Sherwin Campbell, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Cameron Cuffy, Mervyn Dillon, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Ryan Hinds, Wavel Hinds, Dinanath Ramnarine, Marlon Samuels; Ricky Skerritt (manager), Roger Harper (coach).

© The Barbados Nation