Antigua, May 6 (UNI) West Indies have named a strong squad for their upcoming ODI tour of Ireland and England commencing later this month.
The Caribbean side will travel to Europe later this month for a total of six ODI contests against Ireland and England, with the matches to form a crucial path towards the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 2027.
Hard-hitting dasher Shai Hope will captain the side after he was once again named skipper, while a nucleus of top-order batters including Brandon King, Evin Lewis and Keacy Carty are joined by teenage star Jewel Andrew following his eye-catching efforts at last year's ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup.
The 15-player squad is similar to the playing group that registered an impressive 3-0 clean sweep over Bangladesh in the three-match ODI series at the end of last year, with left-hander Shimron Hetmyer the notable absentee as he continues to ply his trade in the Indian Premier League for the Rajasthan Royals.
West Indies coach Daren Sammy is looking forward to the tour and wants his side to continue the momentum they got from series victories over England and Bangladesh last year as they head towards the next 50-over World Cup that is set to be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027, an ICC report said.
“These matches form a critical component towards the 2027 World Cup and there are signs of the team building consistency following the series sweep against Bangladesh and the win over England late last year," Sammy said.
“We expect the conditions to be challenging but we are creating a culture and mindset which emphasize playing the brand of cricket that is taking us closer to some of our overall objectives,”
he said.
The West Indies also announced some changes to their coaching staff, with former quick and 2012 T20 World Cup winner Ravi Rampaul replacing Kiwi James Franklin as bowling coach, while Ireland great Kevin O’Brien will provide some assistance to the group during the three matches against his old side.
West Indies ODI squad: Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.
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