The group stage matches of the Twenty20 World Cup 2022 will begin on October 16, and the first matches will be played between Sri Lanka and Namibia. From the group stage, four countries will have the opportunity to enter the Super 12 round.
Eight teams have already qualified for the Super 12 round, and they are Afghanistan, Australia, England, and New Zealand in the first group, while Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and South Africa have qualified in the second group.
Accordingly, the West Indies team entering the Super 12 will have to compete against powerful Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Scotland under Group B in the group round. Group A will feature a strong Sri Lankan team, the Netherlands, Namibia, and the United Emirates.
The West Indies team is currently in a state of confusion regarding the 2022 T20 World Cup selection and expressing different opinions about those senior players. However, Dr. Desmond Haynes had earlier stated that the upcoming CPL tournament will be used to select the final squad for the World Cup.
“If you’ve got a competition and somebody is playing well, I think his name should really come up for selection, so I think performance is very important to us. We did not say we have picked the World Cup team, so all the games leading up to the World Cup we must take them into consideration.”
However, there are still many days left for the CPL to end, but the relevant squad for the Twenty20 World Cup should be named before the 15th of this month. Accordingly, the squad that can be named (probable) for this year’s Twenty20 World Cup is as follows.
Captain Nicholas Pooran, Vice-Captain Rovman Powell, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmeyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, and Alzarri Joseph are the players Dr. Haynes and his fellow selectors will definitely pick as part of the World Cup squad based on reputation, past performance, and future potential.
Rain marred several matches in the first round of the CPL in St. Kitts, and the performance of the target players so far has given Haynes and Co more headaches than real selection solutions. However, in addition to the seven automatic players above, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Hayden Walsh Jr., Kyle Mayers, and Fabian Allen can also be added.
However, in the previous few tournaments, Lewis has not represented the West Indies team. The reason was that he was automatically excluded from the selection process for not participating in the fitness tests. The only way for him to make it to the Twenty20 World Cup is through the CPL.
Along with Lewis, another destructive player of the West Indies, Andre Fletcher, is also standing side by side. That’s because he scored very well in the last few innings he played. Accordingly, 240 runs have been scored in Fletcher’s last five innings. But Lewis is several steps ahead in terms of past international performances.
Fabian Allen can be defined as dynamic with the bat, crafty with the ball, and electric on the field. Although he was away from cricket for a few months due to the death of his father, he said he was again available for international selections. Allen has already shown himself to be the best fielder in the entire Caribbean by taking two incredible catches during CPL’22.
As suggested by ESPNCricinfo, going to Australia without a wrist spinner would be very foolish. Hence, Hayden Walsh’s name will be prominent. He has not been among the best in the last few series, but could very well prove to be a valuable wicket-taking asset for the West Indies in Australia.
Barbados Royals’ Kyle Mayers will now top the list as an all-rounder and potential opener. Mayers is currently one of the top all-rounders in CPL 2022 and has scored 206 runs and taken five wickets in five matches so far.
Sunil Narine is one of the most economical and effective mystery bowlers in the T20 format. His recent performances and overall ability to deceive the batsmen and his performances in this tournament are likely to secure a spot in the upcoming T20 World Cup squad.
Also, Obed McCoy has been in considerable form for the West Indies these days but has been caught under attack at some times. However, in the last few matches, he has played the role of a regular in the set-up as well as a pure match-winner. McCoy is a specialist death bowler and has a lot of variety in his bowling arsenal. He can bowl slow yorkers with precision along with off-cutters that can trouble the batsmen. He has played 62 T20 matches so far and has taken 93 wickets at an average of 19.41 and an economy of 8.57. Accordingly, it can be said that McCoy will also be a part of the West Indies T20 World Cup.
Romario Shepherd and Odean Smith are in a bit of a fight, but Odean Smith is a few steps ahead of Shepherd at the moment, so most likely he will be named as part of the World Cup. Also, Guyana’s player Keemo Paul can play the role of an all-round player well, so he will also be part of the squad.
Accordingly, The West Indies squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 Can be as follows:
Nicholas Pooran (c &wk), Rowman Powell (vc), Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Keemo Paul, Odean Smith, Obed McCoy, Alzzari Joseph, Hayden Walsh Jr, Sunil Narine, Fabian Allen, and Akeal Hosein,
Standby players; Andre Fletcher, Romario Shepherd, and Gudakesh Motie