Ahmedabad: Former England spinner John Emburey has backed veteran southpaw Sourav Ganguly’s inclusion in the Indian team and said age should not be a criterion for selection.

“Ganguly is a world-class player and has been in great form. There should not be any second thoughts for selecting him in the Indian team,” Emburey said here on Monday.

“Age should not be a criterion for selection, certainly not for a player like Ganguly. If a senior is playing well, he should be selected. There is no point dropping him to make way for younger players,” said Emburey, who had turned down an offer to be the coach of the Indian cricket team.

Younger players should get a chance but not at the cost of in-form senior players, he added.

The former England spinner, who scalped 147 victims in Tests alongwith 76 in ODIs, is the coach of Indian Cricket League (ICL) team Ahmedabad Rockets. He was attending a practice session with his players on the refurbished Sardar Patel stadium here. The stadium, taken on lease by the ICL from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, will be the venue for ICL matches between October 17 and October 23.

Meanwhile, former Zimbabwe skipper and member of the Ahmedabad Rockets team, Heath Streak, said the team is looking forward to the second season of the ICL.

“We did not do well last season. There were many issues that have been sorted out now, and we are looking forward to having a blast this season,” Streak said.

“Some of our players have done extremely well in English County cricket. We have got to know each other and there is now better co-ordination among the players,” Streak said.

Asked about the Indian players in his team, he said they were enthusiastic, but needed guidance and physical training. Some of them are good to be a part of the Indian team, he added.

Streak said money was important in professional cricket. “There is a lot of pressure on the players to perform with increasing competition among professional cricketers. A good pay makes a lot of difference.”

The Ahmedabad Rockets will be practising here for the next two days before leaving for Hyderabad for the opening ceremony of the forthcoming ICL season on October 10.