Drakes pledges future to West Indies

Vasbert Drakes has decided to pledge his future to playing for West Indies, leaving his career with South African provincial side Border in doubt.

Drakes has spent seven seasons at Border, but the announcement that he wants to play for West Indies this winter could rule him out of playing abroad. To be eligible for selection he would have to be available to play for Barbados in the Red Stripe Bowl in October, and then if he was chosen, to tour Zimbabwe and South Africa with West Indies between October and February.

"At this stage, West Indies is the No. 1 priority," Drakes told the Barbados-based Nation newspaper. "It is a personal matter ... what I want and not what the public wants. It is not 100 per cent clarified, but at this moment my sole interest is representing the West Indies."

But Drakes did not rule out a return to South Africa if things did not go according to plan. "I won't be able to tell you that I will be playing for the West Indies and I can't rule out the fact I will not be playing cricket in South Africa," he said. "Those are issues that we need to speak about. The selectors told me they still have an interest in me in terms of my having a role to play."