Barbados
Veteran all-rounder Andre Russell has been recalled to West Indies T20I squad after a gap of around two years. The all-rounder, who last played for West Indies in 2021 T20 World Cup, has been in the 15-man squad for the upcoming five-match series against England.
The 35-year-old, who plays for a number of T20 franchises across the world, was in UAE last month for the Abu Dhabi T10 league. Russell's team Deccan Gladiators, however, lost to New York Strikes in the final on Saturday (Dec. 9). He's expected to join the team in Barbados next week for the series which begins on Tuesday (Dec. 12) in Bridgetown.
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Apart from Russell, middle-order batter Sherfane Rutherford has also been called up in the squad – a first since 2020. Apart from these two, all-rounder Matthew Forde, who played a vital role in West Indies' ODI series clinching win over England, has been handed a maiden call-up in the T20I squad.
Senior players Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder are also back in the reckoning after staying out of the action in ODIs in the recent times. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has also managed to impress the selectors to get a place in the squad.
Shai Hope, West Indies' best batter in the ODI series against England, has been named deputy of skipper Rovman Powell as West Indies prepare for T20 World Cup next year. The ICC event will be co-hosted by the USA and West Indies together.
West Indies, the two-time T20 World Cup champion, will be itching to perform better after missing out in the recently-concluded ODI World Cup where they failed to qualify for the main event.
West Indies squad: Rovman Powell (capt), Shai Hope (vc), Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder,Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd