Sydney: Jimmy Maher was on Sunday called to join the Australian Test touring party in the West Indies to give wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist a breather.

Maher, Australia's reserve wicket-keeper at last month's World Cup in South Africa, will replace Gilchrist for the three-day tour match against a University of West Indies XI in Barbados, starting on April 26, the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) said.

It will be the first match Gilchrist has missed since Australia's victory over the Netherlands in a World Cup preliminary match on February 20.

Batsman Maher is not a specialist keeper but national selection chairman Trevor Hohns said it made sense to use him for the game as he was likely to be selected in Australia's 15-man squad to play seven One-day Internationals against the Windies after the four-match Test series.

"Jimmy will more than likely be part of our One-day squad in the West Indies simply on his batting alone, so it is important that we continue to give him added keeping experience if he is to continue covering adequately for Adam Gilchrist on tour," Hohns said on Sunday.

"We are not necessarily saying that Jimmy is the country's second-best wicket- keeping option, but for this match we would rather introduce a player who is going to be with the team for the duration of the trip, rather than fly someone across for a few days.

"As for Adam Gilchrist, it is important that we continue to monitor his workload and give him time-off where possible. He has had a long campaign and doesn't get many opportunities to rest, so we need to be conscious that he doesn't get over-worked and end up suffering from fatigue."

Maher's inclusion in the Test squad means that he will relinquish his Australia 'A' captaincy duties for the remainder of its home series against South Africa 'A'.

New South Wales (NSW) batsman Simon Katich will stand in as Australia 'A' captain.

Copyright AFP 2001

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