Six months after his last appearance in a West Indies jersey, Fabien Allen has declared himself once more ready for international selection ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Allen, a left-arm spin bowler who is also an all-rounder, turned down a retainer deal with Cricket West Indies earlier this year and has been away for “personal reasons” throughout the home phase of the West Indies season.
In a statement, he stated that he is available for international selection and disclosed that he had lost his father due to cancer earlier this year. He thanked CWI for their assistance during “a very painful period for myself and my family.”
“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.”