West Indies suffered a huge setback when their batsman Andre Fletcher pulled his hamstring against Afghanistan at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. With the all-important semifinal clash against India coming up in Mumbai, Thursday, West Indies are lining up Lendl Simmons as his replacement.
A Cricbuzz report states that sources in the West Indies camp have confirmed that Simmons will be called in for Fletcher. However, it is uncertain if the player will come in as a replacement or cover for Fletcher.
Lendl Simmons is a good opener, and could straightaway walk into the opening slot alongside the dangerous Chris Gayle to form an incredible pair in the upcoming match. The left and right-hand combination could be a huge threat to India.
Simmons must have been hugely disappointed after seeing his World T20 hopes disappear when he picked up a back injury. Evin Lewis, who was dismissed for a duck against Afghanistan, was named as his replacement. But Simmons could get a chance to represent West Indies and power his team to the final of the World T20, if the Fletcher situation is deemed to be serious.
West Indies could also have gone with Dwayne Smith, who was impressive in the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League. With Simmons having played a los of cricket at the Wankhede Stadium for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he knows the conditions better.
