Ian Allen, coach of the Windwards Islands, says despite the absence of regular captain Darren Sammy, the team will be putting their best foot forward against Jamaica in their opening West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Four-Day Tournament clash at Sabina Park, starting on Friday.
Sammy, who has been their inspirational leader in recent seasons, will miss the encounter due to a request from the WICB, which has asked for him to be given some time to rest ahead of Australia’s upcoming tour of Caribbean.
“Sammy is out of the team on a request of the West Indies Cricket Board for our first match,” said Allen, the former West Indies fast bowler, who along with other members of the team arrived in the country yesterday.
“He has had a long couple of years in terms of constant cricket and the understanding is that they want him to get some rest for the upcoming Australian series.
“His absence will be a loss, but I don’t want to put it down to a big loss. It gives others the opportunity to lead the team and to represent the Windward Islands and stake a claim for a permanent spot,” he added.
The Windwards, who last season made it to the semi-finals where they were defeated by the Combined Campuses and College, will be captained in the Jamaica match by Liam Sebastien…
jamaica-gleaner.com

Whether he is on the XI or not :

will not make a difference !

Even if a player's history secures him a place in the team, having not played 4 day cricket for quite some time, missing the opportunity does not seems appropriate preparation. Does it?
 
In this particular case there is no meaningful history and it appears the WICB continues to insist on not playing our strongest team.