Chris Gayle ... "a very proficient spinner at Test level". - Reuters

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC:

WEST INDIES coach David Moore said offspinner Chris Gayle is perhaps the Caribbean's best spinner at the moment. When regional selectors picked the 15-man squad for the England tour last week, no specialist spinner was included, sparking criticism from several quarters.

"We've got to find a good spinner. I don't know whether I necessarily have seen someone that can match Chris Gayle when he is at his best," Moore, who recently replaced Australian counter-part Bennett King as coach, told reporters prior to the team's departure.

"I think Chris Gayle is a very proficient spinner at Test level, he's taken Test five-wicket hauls and he's got a reasonable strike rate and reasonable bowling average."

The 27-year-old Gayle has taken 53 wickets from 64 Tests and has provided the bulk ofthe West Indies spin variety in recent years.

Preferred choice

Left-arm spinner Dave Mohammed has been one of the preferred choices in recent times, but he has played just five Tests and taken just 13 wickets.

Twenty-four-year-old off-spinner Omari Banks was also given a run, but his 10 Tests have yielded a mere 28 wickets at an average of 48.

Moore said while there were young spinners in the region, he believed they needed to be inserted in the 'A' team first before being given Test duty.

"I'm sure there are young spinners around that are developing, but it's not the time to blood young players - whether there are spinners, batters or bowlers - in Test series," Moore pointed out.

"I think the time to do that is on 'A' tours. Last year, we went to England and we had Banks (Omari) and Mohammed (Dave), the Sri Lankans came over (to the Caribbean last year) and we had more spinners so I think we need to blood those younger players on the 'A' tours."<