Australia won’t face Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the Caribbean next month after the veteran left-hander was left out of the West Indies squad.
The 40-year-old, who has played 164 Tests in 21 years, was not named by chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd when the 12-man training squad for the two-Test series was named on Monday.
The decision effectively ends one of the greatest Test careers with Chanderpaul stranded just 86 runs short of Brian Lara’s record 11,912 Test runs by a West Indian.
Despite a career average of 51.37 including 30 centuries, a poor series against England recently in which he scored just 96 runs in three Tests and failed to pass 50 sealed his fate.
Former Windies captain Lloyd, who himself played his last Test aged 40 against Australia in 1984, said the decision was a tough but necessary one to make.
“This was a tough decision for the selection panel to make,” Lloyd said.
“We recognise the significant contribution Chanderpaul has made to the West Indies teams over the last two decades, but we want to take this opportunity to introduce a number of young, promising players into the squad.”
Chanderpaul is the sole casualty from the team which defeated England in three days in Barbados earlier this month to leave the series tied at one-all.
The squad will train in Barbados this week before a final team for the opening Test in Dominica on June 3 is named on Friday.
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