Jarrod Kimber, Shayan Ahmad Khan
Co-hosts West Indies are the joint most successful team in T20 World Cup history, along with England, in terms of trophies won by the men’s team. They won the tournament in Sri Lanka in 2012 and in India in 2016. In fact, they also won the Women’s T20 World Cup and Men’s U-19 World Cup in 2016, making it three ICC trophies for that year.
Unfortunately, they were unable to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the previous edition in Australia, and they finished fifth out of six teams in their Super 12 group in the UAE in 2021.
West Indies have made eight changes to their squad from last time. Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase, Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie make the cut, while Kyle Mayers, Evin Lewis, Shamarh Brooks, Odean Smith, Raymond Reifer, Obed McCoy, Sheldon Cottrell and Yannic Carriah miss out.
Brandon King has been the first-choice opener for West Indies since the 2022 T20 World Cup. He has scored 406 in 15 T20I innings at a strike rate of 140.48. He was also the fifth-highest run-getter with 288 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 145.45 in CPL 2023.
It will be interesting to see if Johnson Charles replaces Kyle Mayers at the top. Mayers opened in 13 innings since the last T20 World Cup, but could score only 217 runs. Charles has opened the innings four times, but he has also batted six times at three – including a 46-ball 118 against South Africa in Centurion.
Shai Hope was the highest run-getter in CPL 2023. Batting at number three, scored 481 runs in 13 innings at an impressive strike rate of 140.23. He also scored 183 runs at a strike rate of 150 in IPL 2024, which means there is a marked improvement in his scoring rate in the format. But between these two tournaments, he struggled to get going in T20Is, BPL and the PSL. He scored only 305 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 123.98.
Nicholas Pooran has been one of the top batters in T20 cricket in general, and in this year’s IPL particularly. Pooran made 499 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 178.21 for Lucknow Super Giants, being excellent against both pace and spin. On the other hand, Shimron Hetmyer has not had much of a hit in the IPL, facing only 45 balls in seven innings for the Rajasthan Royals. He hasn’t played a few games due to a niggle, but in the chances he’s got batting down the order, he’s been pretty good.
Rovman Powell, the captain, has been the highest run-getter for West Indies since the last T20 World Cup, scoring 422 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 172.24. He batted in five innings in this year’s IPL. His most noteworthy performance came against Kolkata Knight Riders, when he scored 26 off 13 balls.
Romario Shepherd hasn’t been as impressive with the bat in T20Is in the same time period, scoring 119 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 146.91. But he did show glimpses of what he is capable of when he hit Anrich Nortje for 32 runs in the final over of an IPL game against Delhi Capitals. Also, Shepherd has taken 16 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 9.57. That should give him the edge over Sherfane Rutherford, who has bowled only one over in the same period, while making 169 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 165.68.
Andre Russell’s all-round performances have played an important role in KKR having a great season. He has scored 222 runs at a strike rate of 185 and taken 15 wickets at an economy of 10.3. Even though the economy is slightly high, he has picked up some big wickets.
West Indies have three frontline pacers in Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Jason Holder. Alzarri has taken 19 wickets in 11 T20Is at an economy of 10.15, while Holder has 15 wickets in 14 T20Is at an economy of 9.83. The best phase for both of them has been in the middle, from overs 7-16.
Shamar is still inexperienced, having played only three T20s so far in his career. But Desmond Haynes, West Indies’ chairman of selectors, felt his ability made up for his lack of games.
“You really can’t question Shamar Joseph’s skills,” Haynes said. “You saw him in Australia. We were looking at someone up front bowling the first powerplay and he ticks the boxes.”
The spin attack includes offspinner Roston Chase and left-arm finger spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie. All three can bowl in the powerplay as well as in the middle, which gives the side flexibility with their other bowling options.
A balanced XI could be: King, Charles/Hope, Pooran, Hetmyer, Powell, Russell, Shepherd/Rutherford, Holder, Hosein, Motie/Chase, Alzarri/Shamar
If West Indies want to strengthen their batting, they could include Shai Hope instead of an all-rounder. But in that case, Russell and Powell will have to bowl at least four overs between them. The XI then would look like: King, Charles, Hope, Pooran, Hetmyer, Powell, Russell, Holder, Hosein, Motie/Chase, Alzarri/Shamar
Another possible combination could be to play a lot of all-rounders and bat deep. The XI then would then be: King, Charles, Hope, Pooran, Hetmyer, Powell, Russell, Shepherd/Rutherford, Holder, Hosein, Alzarri/Shamar.
If it is a spin-friendly wicket, they could play all three spinners and go with: King, Charles, Hope, Pooran, Hetmyer, Powell, Russell, Chase, Hosein, Motie, and a pacer. Similarly, if they want an extra pacer, they could field all three – Holder, Alzarri, Shamar.
West Indies have always had the flair for T20, as is evident from how much in demand their players are in leagues across the world. They just need to put it together and work well as a combination. If they do that, they will be a threat to any team they face.
