West Indies recall Shai Hope in their 15-man squad for T20I series against India

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has named a 15-member provisional squad for the forthcoming five-game T20I series against India, starting on August 3 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad. Their ODI captain Shai Hope has been recalled to the side alongside Oshane Thomas.

Hope, who has represented the West Indies in 19 T20Is, last played a game in the format in February 2022 in Kolkata. Meanwhile, fast bowler Thomas' most recent T20I came in December 2021 against Pakistan. While the 15-member squad will travel to the respective venues for all the matches, it will be trimmed to 13 players for every game from which the final XI will be chosen.

West Indies men's cricket team's lead selector Desmond Haynes stated that they have one eye into the next T20 World Cup and hope to find the best combination for the same through this series.

As quoted by the official website, he stated:

"The squad is selected with the next ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in mind. We are looking at various plans as we try to find the right combinations. As we prepare; we are looking to build a unit which we believe can do the job when we host the global event in just under a year. We have some match-winners in our line-up and we will look to have the right kind of preparation, starting here in Trinidad on Thursday."

West Indies will also be ecstatic by the return of Nicholas Pooran, who smashed a match-winning hundred in the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023 final for MI New York.

The Men in Maroon are currently playing a three-game ODI series against India, with the final game set to take place on Tuesday, August 1. The sequence is currently tied at 1-1.

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West Indies' 15-man T20I squad to face India:

Rovman Powell (captain), Kyle Mayers (vice-captain), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy, Brandon Nicholas, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Oshane Thoams.