T20 Internationals For the forthcoming five-match series against India, the West Indies have brought back Shai Hope, their ODI captain. Hope’s last match for the West Indies in the format was also the previous year’s meeting with India. The 29-year-old’s improvement in white-ball forms over the last year, though, has been striking.
Hope’s strike rate in ODIs this year is 96.75, which is impressive for someone who was labelled as a one-trick pony. Even though he is now batting at No. 4, his growth is still being highlighted by the fact that his annual strike rate has never been higher than 80.
For the India series, not only has fast bowler Oshane Thomas returned to the ODI setup, but he has also been recalled to the T20I team alongside Hope. Two-time defending champions will get a boost with the addition of Nicholas Pooran, fresh off a century in the inaugural MLC final, and Shimron Hetmyer, who was injured and unable to play in the T20 World Cup last year in Australia.
“The squad is selected with the next ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in mind,” stated head selector Desmond Haynes. We’re exploring other options to see what works best. We are now trying to assemble a force that we are certain will be up to the task of hosting the international event a year from now. We have a few game-changers on our roster, and we want to be in the best shape possible before Thursday’s first game in Trinidad.
With the opening of the Caribbean Premier League next month, we also have additional players that might come into consideration coming ahead.
All 15 members of Rovman Powell’s team will travel to all five games, as been confirmed by Cricket West Indies. However, a 13-man roster will be decided before each game from which an eleven-man starting lineup will be picked.
The five-game series will begin on August 3, only two days after the ODI series concludes. After the first three games, on August 12 and 13, the two teams will go to Florida, America, to play the last two games of the series.
Rovman Powell (c), Kyle Mayers (vc), Johnson Charles (wk), Roston Chase (wk), Shimron Hetmyer (wk), Jason Holder (wk), Shai Hope (wk), Alzarri Joseph (wk), Brandon King (wk), Obed McCoy (wk), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Romario Shepherd (wk), Odean Smith (wk), and Oshane Thomas (wk) make up the squad.