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West Indies Name Strong T20I Squad For India Series; Shai Hope, Hetmyer, Pooran Included

image-lkrq5tioShai Hope with Rovman Powell [Source: Twitter]

Cricket West Indies (CWI) have recalled veteran batter Shai Hope for West Indies' upcoming five-match T20 International (T20I) series against India, which starts on August 3.

Apart from Hope, they have also recalled pacer Oshane Thomas into the 15-man squad, which will be led by Rovman Powell, and will see the likes of Jason Holder, Roston Chase, Johnson Charles, Obed McCoy, and Nicholas Pooran back into the side, after missing the ODI-leg.

Pooran, who missed the ODI series, due to Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023, has a stellar season with MI New York, helping them win the inaugural season as well. 

The ODI skipper Hope last played T20I for West Indies back in February 2022, while Thomas featured in December 2021.

This series will be crucial for the Windies, as this will start their preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which will be co-hosted by CWI and USA Cricket.

Head of the selection panel and former WI player Desmond Haynes mentioned that the squad is picked looking at the future. 

Here's what Haynes said

“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 that 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."

The first T20I will be played in Trinidad, before action shifts to Guyana for the second and third matches, with the final two encounters taking place in Florida.

West Indies T20I squad 

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