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Gudakesh Motie dropped, Shai Hope to lead as West Indies name squad for New Zealand T20Is

Aakash Saini

West Indies players [Source: @wiplayers/X.com]West Indies players [Source: @wiplayers/X.com]

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has unveiled a 15-player West Indies squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series in New Zealand. In a bold move, the West Indies selection committee dropped ace spinner Gudakesh Motie from the team following his dip in form.

In another change, Matthew Forde will be making his return to the national T20I team after recovering from his shoulder injury. Senior man Shai Hope will continue to lead the West Indies group after his T20I success in Bangladesh last month.

Matthew Forde returns as Shai Hope to lead strong WI unit

Fast bowler Matthew Forde, who played the last of his eight T20Is for the West Indies a couple of months ago against Australia, will be making his return to the national line-up for the impending series against New Zealand. The speedster had sustained a shoulder injury back in August which ruled him out of the entire West Indies tour of Bangladesh.

All-rounder Shamar Springer has also been included in the West Indies team after a gap of over a year, in a bid to bolster their pace department. Shai Hope will continue to lead the West Indies team, and he will be accompanied by fellow T20I stars and senior pros like Jason Holder, Test captain Roston Chase, Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford and others. Here is a look at the entire West Indies squad for the T20I series against New Zealand.

West Indies squad for T20I series vs New Zealand:

Shai Hope (c), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Brandon King, Khary Pierre, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd and Shamar Springer

The West Indies team will be touring New Zealand to play a series of five T20Is, three ODIs and three Test matches. The tour will kick off with the T20I series, set to be played between November 5 and November 13.

While the T20Is will serve as a dress rehearsal for both sides before the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, the Test series will constitute a part of the 2025-27 WTC cycle.