Tino Best will be missed, laments Gibson

Khulna (Bangladesh): West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has lamented the loss of strike bowler Tino Best for the upcoming limited overs series against Bangladesh.

The right arm pacer, who took 12 wickets at an average of 14.33 in the just concluded two match Test series, picked up a grade one hamstring strain and will return home for further treatment. "It is unfortunate that Tino will be leaving after he came back and bowled so well in the second innings of this game," Gibson said. "His performance in the Test series shows that he is in form, so we will be missing an in-form bowler." Best, who has played sporadically for West Indies since making his debut nine years ago, bowled West Indies to victory in the Dhaka Test with a five-wicket haul in the second innings and repeated his heroics here in the second Test as he took six wickets to earn yet another convincing win for the Caribbean side. He was expected to be a key member of the attack in the upcoming five one-dayers and single Twenty20 but Gibson says it was important the Barbadian get back to full fitness especially with a busy schedule ahead for the Windies. "With the injury that he has sustained and the high intensity of the limited-overs format, it means that it`s too big a risk to take, so he will return home, get his rehab done, and get himself fully fit again," Gibson explained. "There is a lot of cricket coming up next year and it will be important for us that he gets himself ready for that cricket." Best has been replaced by lanky 21-year-old seamer Jason Holder. IANS