Fabian Allen has made himself available for
international selection again ahead of the T20
World Cup, six months since his last appearance in
a West Indies shirt. Allen, the left-arm spin-bowling
allrounder, declined a retainer contract with Cricket West
Indies earlier this year and has been absent for “personal
reasons” throughout West Indies’ home season.
He revealed in a statement that he had lost his father to
cancer earlier this year, thanking CWI for their support
throughout “a very difficult time for me and my family”, and
confirmed that he is available for international selection.
“I’d like to thank my family, friends and fans for their
support over the past four months,” Allen said. “As some
of you may know, I recently lost my father to cancer this
year and it has been a very difficult time for me and my
family. He was my biggest fan and I’m happy he got [to] see
me live my dream as a professional cricketer. I will continue
to make him proud.
“As a professional athlete you learn to quickly put things
behind you and move forward but it has been particularly
difficult for me over the past couple [of] months. I’m very
grateful to the Mumbai Indians franchise for allowing me
the time to handle my personal arrangements and being
flexible with my schedule.
“After laying my dad to rest I immediately had to turn my
focus to the IPL. While it kept me busy and focused, I knew
after the tournament was completed, I needed to take
some time away from the game.”
Allen was the leading run-scorer in the recently completed
inaugural season of the 6ixty and he will represent Jamaica
Tallawahs at the CPL, where he will hope to push for a
place in West Indies’ T20 World Cup squad.
“Cricket West Indies has been supportive throughout
the entire process and I really want to thank Johnny
Grave [chief executive] and Jimmy Adams [Director
of Cricket] for their consideration. I want to use
this opportunity to make it clear, I’ll always want to
represent my country and the West Indies.
“Even though I did not necessarily make it clear why I
made myself unavailable for selection during the recent
summer schedule, it was important for me to finish my
grieving process and spend some time with my family.
“Most importantly, I’ve been getting myself physically
and mentally ready for the CPL and hopefully the
T20 World Cup (if selected) later this year. The
best of Fabian Allen is yet to come. I know I
have the ability to be one of the best batting
allrounders in the world and I look forward to
showcasing it for all to see.”