Experienced West Indies batsman returns to the squad for the white-ball leg of their tour, hoping to face his old England adversary

As England’s selectors convene on Monday to pick their squad for the limited‑overs matches against West Indies, chilling on a beach in Miami will be an opponent itching for them to include their highest-profile players and, in particular, his old foe Ben Stokes.

Should Stokes get the nod for the Twenty20 on 16 September and the five 50-over affairs that follow the Test series decider at Lord’s this week, and not be wrapped in cotton wool before the Ashes, it would reunite him with Marlon Samuels, a player never short of a word – or a salute – when they have met on a cricket field previously.

“With me coming to England, he should stay on the boundary when I’m batting, as far away as possible,” says an unprompted Samuels, who after playing in the Caribbean Premier League for St Lucia Stars is taking a break in Florida before joining his international team-mates for the white‑ball end to their tour.

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Having brought up the subject of where Stokes should field in response to an innocuous question about England’s strengths during our transatlantic call, the 36-year-old batsman – man of the final both times when West Indies won the 2012 and 2016 World T20 tournaments – is asked whether this means he is looking forward to resuming hostilities.

“As long as he keeps quiet, I won’t start anything, so if anything does happen that means he has said something to me first,” he replies. “I’m going to come to England and be a good boy … at least for the start of it.

“He wanted to take me on a couple of years ago [during England’s 2015 tour of the Caribbean, scene of the infamous salute]. He started something and I told him he better be prepared to finish it. But I saw him during the IPL this year and he didn’t say anything. I hope he can continue on that path. If not, I have things in place.”

Though these “things” are not elaborated upon, his words are couched with respect too, not least for the way Stokes recovered from his final-over manhandling by Carlos Brathwaite in the World T20 final last year – “He’s a tough cookie and I applaud him for that” – and England’s white-ball resurgence since the last World Cup overall.

Samuels, in his 17th year as an international cricketer, will play alongside his fellow Jamaican in Chris Gayle – “You got it wrong there, Chris Gayle is playing alongside me,” he fires back when it is put this way – following an amnesty by Cricket West Indies that is designed to bring their exiled Twenty20 globetrotters back into the fold.

It halts a hardline selection policy that left big names on the outside of a 50-over team which failed to make this summer’s Champions Trophy and, still sitting ninth in the rankings, will probably not make the 2019 World Cup automatically come the cut-off point on 30 September. A spot in next year’s qualifying tournament looms.

Gayle, 37, has not played one-day cricket since the 2015 World Cup but in the case of Samuels it ends a shorter hiatus, having been missing since late last year. A spell in the Pakistan Super League left him without the requisite number of games in the Caribbean’s Super 50 tournament and thus he became ineligible.

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Is he happy to be returning? “No, I’m not very happy because I’ve been playing ODI cricket for the last few years then they come up with this rule of playing 10 [domestic] games to qualify to play – that never makes sense. We need our best players. You have to bend the rule and compromise. You can’t treat everyone the same.

But at least he is back now, right? “Yeah but after damage. There should not be the damage in the first place, especially after the embarrassment of not being at the Champions Trophy and now a World Cup where we might not even be there. People around the world still love Caribbean cricket because we bring the flavour and history. We need to be in every tournament, no matter what.”

Samuels is nevertheless encouraged by the new West Indies regime, describing the director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, as a friend who is “cricket first”, head coach Stuart Law as a “nice individual” and the chief executive, Johnny Grave, “a man of his word”. And though he claims to be taking a break from Tests at present, Samuels is impressed – if not unsurprised – by Holder and Co’s prediction-defying win at Headingley last week.

“People were writing off the players but they are young, hungry and showing fight by winning a Test in tough conditions,” says Samuels. “West Indies are not on top and playing the best but the media is too critical, they need to give these youngsters a chance because not every player starts out at the top of their game.

“In history there are greats who started slow, and players who started fast and never last. It’s a game of glorious uncertainty and you have to give guys a chance to shape their destinies. Hopefully Jason and the boys can finish it off now.”

And his own hopes for the white-ball action that follows? “I love batting in England – I won the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2013 – and I’m coming to do my best and give 150%. I will look to play a big significant role for West Indies. It’s a bit on the cold side though – and I don’t even like to open my fridge.”