LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter

Xavier Marshall - File

Xavier Marshall, who last month was dropped from the Stanford Superstars 20/20 squad for failing a dope test, has been selected by the Jamaica Cricket Association to prepare for the Caribbean one-day tournament. The selection committee, led by Ruddy Williams, picked Marshall as one of 28 cricketers who begin training this afternoon at 1 at Sabina Park.

Marshall, 22, along with Tonito Willett - an uncapped all-rounder from the Leewards Islands - failed a drugs test during a two-week training camp held in August in Antigua.

After the positive test was confirmed on September 16, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) CEO Donald Peters said: "The WICB has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and the matter could come up to the disciplinary committee. We are looking at a time frame of two weeks."

Eligible for selection

However, Jackie Hendriks, president of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), which is an affiliate of the WICB, said a week later that Marshall was eligible for selection to the national team.

"He will be available for selection," said Hendriks in a Gleaner story on September 26. "As far I know, there is nothing official, either to the Jamaica Cricket Association or myself."

The squad will play seven practice matches before the final 14 players are selected on October 18. They will then train between October 22 and November 11. The one-day tournament is scheduled to start on November 14. Jamaica will play their first game against Guyana a day later at a venue to be decided by the WICB.

Youth cricketers Andre Creary and Horace Miller will train with the senior team as they begin their preparation for the West Indies U-19 team which will play in the tournament.

Training squad: Brenton Parchment (St Elizabeth CA), Keith Hibbert (St Catherine CC), Danza Hyatt (St Catherine CC), Lorenzo Ingram (Trelawny), Nkrumah Bonner (St Catherine CA), Yanick Elliott (Melbourne CC), Andrew Richardson (Kingston CC), Mavrick Perry (St Elizabeth), Tamar Lambert (St Catherine CC), Ricardo D'Acres (St Ann CA), Odean Brown (St Catherine CC), Donavon Sinclair (Manchester CA),

David Bernard Jr (Kensington CC), Andre McCarthy (Melbourne CC), Shacoya Thomas (St Catherine CC), Andre Russell (St Catherine CC), Jason Dawes (St Elizabeth CA), Kirshmar Santokie (Clarendon CA), Bevon Brown (St Catherine CC), Damion Henry (Melbourne CC), Gary Graham (Manchester CA), Akeem Dewar (Kensington), Xavier Marshall (St Ann CA), Brendan Nash (Kingston CC), Shawn Findley (St Elizabeth CA), Nikita Miller (Melbourne CC), Carlton Baugh Jr (Melbourne CC) and Donovan Pagon (Melbourne CC).