West Indies announces 15-member squad for South Africa T20Is; Andre Russell and Jason Holder Rested
Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa. Following the closely fought Test series, in which the Proteas secured a 1-0 win, the teams will face each other in three T20Is in Trinidad from August 23-27.
West Indies have made three changes to the squad that played at home in the recent T20 World Cup. All-rounders Andre Russell, Alzarri Joseph, and Kyle Mayers have been replaced by spin-bowling all-rounder Fabien Allen, pacer Matthew Forde, and talented batter Alick Athanaze. Jason Holder, who played in the recently concluded two-Test series, will miss the T20Is.
However, Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe confirmed that Russell and Holder have been rested for a recovery period.
"Andre Russell requested a period of rest and recovery as well as Jason Holder who played five back-to-back five Tests against England and South Africa. During this period, they will work closely with the CWI science and medicine team," stated Miles Bascombe (via Cricket West Indies).
Meanwhile, head coach Daren Sammy was upbeat about the South African T20Is and said:
"Facing a strong South Africa side is an excellent opportunity for our team to reset and refocus with our game plan. We have played them recently and had mixed results, so this should be an exciting and important series. I’m confident in the squad we’ve selected, and with eyes already on the next T20 World Cup in 2026, I know the guys will be keen to show their hunger for success."
West Indies had won four of their last five bilateral T20Is series heading into the home World Cup. However, defeat to the Proteas in their final Super Eight game proved terminal as they were eliminated before the semi-final.
Despite that setback, the Caribbean side had previously won five out of six against South Africa in T20Is, including back-to-back bilateral series last and this year. Meanwhile, South Africa will look to continue their momentum from the Test series win and put behind their heartbreaking loss to India in the T20 World Cup final.
Rovman Powell will continue to lead the T20I side with all-rounder Roston Chase replacing Alzarri Joseph as his deputy.
West Indies squad for South Africa T20I series
Rovman Powell (C), Roston Chase (VC), Alick Athanaze, Johnson Charles, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Fabian Allen, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd