West Indies name 15-member squad for England ODIs; Alzarri Joseph promoted as vice-captain
West Indies have named a 15-member squad for their upcoming three-ODI home series against England, starting December 3. Wicketkeeper-batter Shai Hope remains the captain, while pacer Alzarri Joesph has been promoted as his deputy.
Despite being World Cup winners in 1975 and 1979, the Men from the Caribbean failed to qualify for the 2023 edition in India.
Wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich returns to the ODI squad after four years when he played his lone game in the format against Bangladesh. The 32-year-old was a regular member of the West Indian Test squad from 2015 to 2020, playing 35 games and scoring over 1,500 runs with three centuries and nine half-centuries.
The squad also boasts a call-up for two uncapped players, Sherfane Rutherford and Matthew Forde.
Chief selector Desmond Haynes spoke about the appointment of Joseph as vice-captain. He also threw light on the vision towards the 2027 ODI World Cup, starting with the England series.
"We named Alzarri Joseph as vice-captain as he demonstrated maturity and good leadership qualities for the Leeward Islands Hurricanes during the recent CG United Super50 Cup. "We believe with exposure and opportunities he could be a future leader in West Indies cricket. Matthew Forde is a whole-hearted cricketer who has been impressive. He is one of the players coming through the West Indies Academy programme who can form part of the future," said Haynes.
Haynes added:
"England on tour of the West Indies is always filled with excitement and expectation. We expect this to be a hard-fought series, but we also believe this squad will do well in our home conditions. We have a clear vision. We are focused on building a solid team. Our main focus is to re-build for success at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027."
Veteran pace-bowling all-rounder Jason Holder and swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran have been rested for the series. The team will prepare for the England series with a camp in Antigua.
Following the disappointment of their showing at the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, they were last seen in ODIs against India in August, a series they lost 1-2. The three ODIs against England will be followed by a five-match T20I series, starting December 12.
Meanwhile, England will look to rebound from their dismal 2023 World Cup campaign, where they won only three of the nine games to be eliminated from semi-final qualification.
West Indies squad for three-ODI series vs England
Shai Hope (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Alick Athanaze, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, and Oshane Thomas.