West Indies announce 16-member squad for T20Is against India and New Zealand

The Cricket West Indies' (CWI) senior selection panel announced a 16-member squad on Thursday (July 28) for the five-match T20I series against India and the subsequent three-match T20I series against New Zealand.

Swashbuckling batter Shimron Hetmyer has earned a recall to the T20I side. He had a superlative campaign in IPL 2022. Playing for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), the southpaw amassed 314 runs in 15 games at a strike rate of 153.92.

Chief selector Desmon Haynes welcomed back Hetmyer and stated that his return will strengthen the middle order. In a press statement by CWI, Haynes said:

"We welcome back Hetmyer and it is good to see him again in West Indies colors. He will fortify the batting group and with his experience and adaptability, we have a ‘finisher’ who can add value and win matches for the team and delight the supporters."

Left-arm fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell hasn't recovered from the injury and will miss both the series. Fabien Allen, on the other hand, has asked the selectors not to consider him, citing personal reasons.

Nicholas Pooran and Co. will hope to fine-tune their squads from these eight games ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

West Indies squad for India and New Zealand T20Is: Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell (vc), Shamarh Brooks, Dominic Drakes, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Devon Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

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We are planning and gearing up towards T20 World Cup - West Indies chief selector Desmond Haynes

Desmond Haynes stated that they will look to find the right combination from these matches ahead of the T20 World Cup. He added:

“Everything we do, we have to take into consideration we have a big tournament coming up later this year, which is the ICC T20 World Cup, so we are planning and gearing up towards that event. It is good to give the players some exposure to the international stage and look to find the right combinations.”

The five T20Is against India will get underway on July 29 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. St. Kitts will host the next two games, while Lauderhill in Florida will host the final two matches of the series.

The two-time world champions will then square off against New Zealand in a three-match series between August 10 and August 14.