ICC T20 World Cup: The two-time champions West Indies announced their 15-man squad for the T20 showpiece event, which will be co-hosted by them and the USA. The ICC men’s T20 World Cup will kick off on June 2 with the match between co-host USA and Canada.
This will be the biggest T20 World Cup ever as, for the first time, 20 teams will participate in the mega event. The teams are divided into four groups of five teams each.
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ICC T20 World Cup 2024: West Indies Announce Squad
Rovman Powell has been appointed as the captain of the West Indies team, which features veterans like Andre Russell and Jason Holder.
Shamar Joseph, who garnered worldwide attention during an outstanding test series Down Under, is set to make his T20I debut after being included in the squad.
The spin duo of Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hossain have been named in the squad, while the pace department will be led by Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph.
Your #MenInMaroon for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup! 🌴🏆#WIREADY | #T20WC pic.twitter.com/uyS1zoDZeg
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Notable absent from the squad is Kyle Mayers, as West Indies has chosen to prioritize depth in the lower-order batting lineup. Brandon King, Shai Hope, and Johnson Charles are expected to bat in the top order.
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West Indies Squad: Rovman Powell (c), Roston Chase, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Shamar Joseph, Romario Shepherd, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford.
During an interview, Director of West Indies Cricket Desmond Haynes revealed that the the players were chosen while keeping in mind what role they can play.
Haynes also praised Shamar Joseph, saying that the young fast bowler ticks all the boxes and will be key in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
“We had a very long discussion with the situation of the batting line-up,” he said.
“I want to state very clearly that our focus has always been (on) roles – roles that we want people to play. The situation of someone like Shamar Joseph, you really can’t question someone like him, we saw him in Australia. He ticked the boxes for us.
“It was some very close decisions, regarding the selection of Kyle Mayers and Shimron Hetmyer – but we looked at who we wanted the extra batter batting down the order.”
West Indies are placed in Group C, alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Uganda.
