Sammy delayed

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JCA says ICC ban only ends today

WEST Indies batsman Marlon Samuels was not able to make his long-awaited return to competitive action in this weekend's round of matches in the Jamaican Super Cricket League after it was revealed his ban should end today, May 16 and not May 9, as was previously thought.

The right-handed batting stylist was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in May 2008, after he was found guilty of breaching their code of conduct, while on tour with the regional team.


The 29-year-old Samuels, who has scored two hundreds in 29 Tests, was expected to suit up for the Melbourne Kangaroos against the Kingston Tigers at Sabina Park in yesterday's slate of second-round matches, but almost 200 fans at the ground were left disappointed.

An upset Melbourne manager Donald McNaughton told the Sunday Observer he had sought confirmation on Samuels' status from almost a month ago to ensure the middle-order batsman would experience a smooth return to the game.

"I wrote to the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) on the 23rd of April 2010 asking for clarification on the date that Marlon Samuels will be eligible to represent Melbourne and start to play cricket again. They wrote back to me and told me that he would be eligible to play cricket anytime on or after May 9, 2010," he said.

"Everything was in place for him to make his return against Kingston Cricket Club on May 15, but that did not materialise as on the 14th of May I got information through my club, from the JCA, saying that Marlon could not play because their understanding from the ICC is that the suspension took effect on the 16th of May.

"When I had asked for clarification, most of the correspondence went to the Cricket Operations department. I would think that when you're going to find out something you would have been told when you asked for the clarification and not just the day before the game," McNaughton added.

It looks like the JCA didn't know when the ban will end....