For some reason, the WI selectors have been ignoring Dave Mohammed for years. I wonder if there are so-called disciplinary issues involved.
In the longer form of the game, he's had trouble keeping his place in the Trinidad side, but he's practically a fixture in the 20/20 side for his country. A case could also be made for his countryman Samuel Badree in this format....
Smith played irresponsibly for the WI against Zimbabwe, as did Pollard and Ramdin, and the trio were rightly criticised by Gayle and Gibson. But while Pollard and Ramdin put their heads down and answered the criticism with their performances, apparently Smith did not take the criticism well at all. Since Smith has been dropped, Gibson has made some remarks about Smith that seem to indicate that he's in the doghouse.
As for his abilities in 20/20 cricket, we didn't see much of him in the IPL, as Deccan Chargers benched him for most of their matches. He only played two matches, I think. Hardly a ringing endorsement....
I quite like the squad too. I'm not convinced that this is Hinds' favourite format, but given Simmons' indifferent form recently, and the runs Hinds scored for Jamaica this season, it's not an unreasonable selection.
After this world 20/20 champs, I hope Shiv retires from this format to concentrate on the longer versions of the game. 20/20 cricket just doesn't suit him.
Once again, kudos to the selectors for encouraging Barath and Darren Bravo to concentrate on the longer form of the game....