3 takeaways from West Indies' squad for 2024 T20 World Cup
Co-hosts of the 2024 T20 World Cup West Indies announced their squad for the tournament on Friday, May 3. The Men in Maroon are on the lookout to restore their glory in the shortest format after their dismal performances in the previous two editions of the competition.
The squad will be led by Rovman Powell, who has steadied the ship after Nicholas Pooran's resignation. West Indies are high in confidence after securing series wins over India and England at home in recent times, and also put on a commendable show against Australia away from home recently.
Speedster Alzarri Joseph will lead the bowling attack, and will be aided by other prominent bowlers and a slew of all-rounders as well.
West Indies squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup
Rovman Powell (c), Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, and Romario Shepherd.
The Men in Maroon are drawn alongside Afghanistan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Uganda in Group C of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
On that note, let us take a look at three major takeaways from West Indies' squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
#1 West Indies bet on Shamar Joseph's potential over experience
West Indies have often only used one frontline seamer in their playing XI, with all-rounders like Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, and Jason Holder making up the remainder of the seam bowling attack. Despite all of the aforementioned players in the squad, West Indies have chosen to add some cover to their pace bowling unit by selecting Shamar Joseph.
The tearaway pacer became an instant favorite with his memorable performances in the Test series against Australia. However, his white-ball record is far from convincing and it is his raw potential that has spurred on West Indies to take this particular gamble.
Joseph has only played three T20s to date, with his most recent display coming for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). He has sheer pace and the ability to nip the ball around, and the T20 World Cup might just be the avenue where he announces himself to the world in white-ball cricket.
#2 Explosiveness all around, but class makes its mark as well
As is the norm, West Indies boast power hitters from top to bottom, potentially ranking on the higher side when it comes to pure explosiveness. With one of the best T20 batters in Nicholas Pooran, the power of Johnson Charles, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell and Rovman Powell, West Indies do have what it takes to take down any bowling attack, if they play their cards right.
However, the Men in Maroon are familiar with the conditions, and realize that only power-hitting cannot win them games. They have also loaded their squad with calm heads like Shai Hope, Brandon King, and even someone like Sherfane Rutherford, who is capable of playing across multiple gears.
On wickets where the ball might not come, such batters will have a crucial role to play, setting up the innings for the big hitters later on.
#3 Kyle Mayers misses out as Shimron Hetmyer and Andre Russell return
From opening the batting and bowling with the new ball in the previous edition of the World Cup, all-rounder Kyle Mayers finds himself out of the squad for the upcoming 2024 edition. The left-handed player has been a utility player for the West Indies in the past, but with players like Shimron Hetmyer and Andre Russell making a return, it leaves no place in the contingent.
Director of West Indies Cricket Desmond Haynes himself stated that the decision was to select either one of Shimron Hetmyer or Kyle Mayers in the squad, and it is the former that won that race.
"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," Haynes said
Kyle Mayers has not fared well for the Men in Maroon in recent times, and he has been warming the bench for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the ongoing 2024 IPL as well.
Hetmyer was selected in the squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup too, but missed out on the tournament after missing his flight. The left-handed batter is currently featuring as a finisher for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL.
One of the major boosts that the West Indies got was when Andre Russell announced his intention to return to the national setup. He made a return after a two-year absence to feature in the home series against England, where he made an instant impact.
Playing as a full-fledged all-rounder for KKR, he has been in fine form, and he will be on the lookout to translate those exploits in the World Cup.