KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC) — West Indies all-rounder Fabian Allen has indicated he is available for selection for the upcoming 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as he revealed the reason behind his decision not to take up a contract with the men in maroon.

The left-handed spin bowler and right-handed batsman disclosed in a statement that his grieving process following the death of his father was behind the “personal reasons” explanation given by Cricket West Indies (CWI) for his unavailability during the Windies’ home season.

“As some of you may know, I lost my father to cancer this year and it has been a very difficult time for me and my family,” Allen said. “He was my biggest fan and I’m glad he [got to] see me living my dream as a professional cricketer.

“While I haven’t necessarily made it clear why I didn’t make myself available for selection during the recent summer schedule, it was important for me to wrap up my grieving process and spend some time with my family.”

“CWI supported the whole process and I really want to thank Johnny Grave [chief executive] and Jimmy Adams [director of cricket] for their consideration. I would like to take this opportunity to make it clear that I will always want to represent my country and the West Indies.”

Allen explained that after laying his father to rest, he immediately had to focus on the Indian Premier League in which he played for Mumbai Indians. He said while that kept him busy and focused, he knew that after the tournament was over in May, he needed to take some time off from the game.

“As a professional athlete, you learn to put things back and move on quickly, but it has been especially difficult for me in the last couple 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.”

Allen, the leading run scorer in the inaugural the 6IXTY tournament last week, will represent Jamaica Tallawahs at the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which starts tomorrow.

He said he has prepared himself physically and mentally for the CPL “and hopefully the T20 World Cup if selected later this year”. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played in Australia from October 16 to November 13.

“The best of Fabian Allen is yet to come,” he said. “I know I have the opportunity to be one of the best batting allrounders in the world and I’m looking forward to showing it to everyone.”

Allen, who made his international debut in October 2018 in a one-day international (ODI) against India, has represented West Indies in 20 ODIs and 34 T20Is and amassed 467 runs. He has also taken 31 wickets, 24 of them in T20Is.