BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — West Indies coach Ottis Gibson said Tuesday batsman Wavell Hinds would bring maturity and leadership to the regional squad, as he offered a resolute defence of the 33-year-old’s surprise selection for the upcoming World Twenty20 Championship.

Hinds was last week included in a 15-man side for the April 30 to May 16 tournament at the expense of several younger players, sparking speculation over the reasons behind his selection.

Gibson, a member of the selection panel along with chairman Clyde Butts, Robert Haynes and Raphick Jumadeen, said Hinds was a good option because of his level-headed batting and experience.

“The Wavell Hinds selection was based on the fact that if we pick the youngster — sometimes we tend to do that in the Caribbean — and sometimes we expect a lot from him, sometimes too much in my opinion,” Gibson told reporters at a media conference here.

“This is a one-off tournament and that selection was based on if we need him in a one-off tournament. If we need to make changes, Wavell Hinds can come in, he’s got the experience. He was in the team the last time the West Indies won a major tournament so he’s got that experience.”

He added: “He’s just been playing in England at Derby so he’s got some valuable T20 experience, but he’s also got a cool head on him.

“If we need somebody like that who can come in and make a difference to the team and have impact, we feel that he can do that better than exposing a youngster and expecting too much from him at this point in time.”

Hinds’ selection was even more surprising following his abject failures on the one-day tour of Australia earlier this year, scoring 20, 5, 11 and 0 in his four innings.

He was overlooked on the return to the Caribbean for the five ODIs as selectors drafted in younger players to contest the series.

Gibson said selectors believed the younger players had a role to perform in West Indies cricket, but they had opted for experience with the Hinds move.