West Indies announce squad for T20 World Cup 2024, Shamar Joseph, Shimron Hetmyer included

Two-time World champions West Indies have announced their squads for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. West Indies are the co-hosts of the tournament that will be played in the USA and the Caribbean from June 1 to June 29.

The Caribbean side became the 10th team after New Zealand, Australia, England, India, Afghanistan, South Africa, Oman and Nepal to unveil their players for the showpiece event, scheduled to take place in the West Indies and the USA on June 1st.

All-rounder Rovman Powell will be leading the 15-member squad while pacer Alzarri Joseph has been appointed as the vice-captain of the side for the T20 World Cup 2024.

Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford are Guyanese among those selected for the West Indies T20 World Cup squad.

The World Cup will be played next month in the USA and the Caribbean. Matches be played from June 1 to June 29.

Full squad:

1. Rovman Powell (c)
2. Brandon King
3. Johnson Charles
4. Shai Hope
5. Nicholas Pooran
6. Sherfane Rutherford
7. Shimron Hetmyer
8. Andre Russell
9. Romario Shepherd
10. Jason Holder
11. Gudakesh Motie
12. Akeal Hosein
13. Roston Chase
14. Alzarri Joseph (vc)
15. Shamar Joseph

West Indies have a legacy as a T20 side. They are the team with the most number of T20 World Cup titles to their name. The Men in Maroon won the prestigious title in 2012 and 2016, becoming the first team to win it twice, till England achieved the same feat in 2022. West Indies will be pumped up for the tournament.

It is the first ICC men’s cricket tournament in the Caribbean islands in more than 14 years. The home side has some of the best players in the world. Their squad is filled with power hitters and some bowlers who would be handy in the home conditions. One can expect to see the aggressive brand of cricket they’re known for.

1. Rovman Powell (c)

Rovman Powell will be the skipper of the West Indies. A few years ago, WI failed to qualify for the main round of the T20 WC for the first time in their history. It was the ultimate downfall for a side known for its brand of cricket. From there, Powell was named the skipper of the side. WI have improved massively under his captaincy.

The Men in Maroon won a series against top teams like India, South Africa, and England. Rovman seems to be a natural leader who knows how to get the best from the players. With the bat, he can win matches himself. But his captaincy is a bit more essential for the West Indies, a team that is uniquely dependent on its captains.

2. Brandon King

Brandon King has been in brilliant form in the last few months. The WI opener has been scoring runs for fun in different leagues and for the WI. The star batter can go bonkers at the top irrespective of the bowling attack. On his day, King can singlehandedly win matches for the WI.

The key for him would be to see off the first couple of overs as the ball might swing in West Indies. Later on, there would be runs to take. He needs just a couple of overs to change the momentum of the match. The right-handed batter has improved a lot in recent times and might come good in the major tournament.

3. Johnson Charles

Much like Brandon King, Johnson Charles can put pressure back on the opponents with his batting. The aggressive batter can hammer the best bowlers in the world all around the park. When on song, it is difficult to stop him from scoring runs. In the powerplay overs, he is known for making the most of field restrictions.

If necessary, he can anchor the innings as well. On slow pitches of WI, you need someone to do the job. While WI has someone like Roston Chase to do that later in the innings, Charles can provide the option too. In the CPL, he has done the role of anchoring well. He is hence a versatile batter.

4. Shai Hope

Shai Hope has reinvented himself in limited-overs cricket in the last 15 months or so. Before that, he was a good batter who was mostly suited for anchoring the innings. Even in that, he used to struggle by wasting a lot of balls. But of late, Hope has been able to farm strike better and minimize the dot balls.

The WK batter has been able to hit odd boundaries at will. These are good signs for the West Indies as they needed a WK batter as a backup option for Nicholas Pooran. He can make it to the XI purely because of his batting. But Hope’s wicket-keeping skills are top-notch and might bag him a spot in the XI.

5. Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran has been one of the best T20 batters since his debut. One thing is certain regarding this batter – Aggression. The star batter never hesitates to take on the bowlers. No matter the nature of the pitch, the Southpaw can score runs at a brisk rate. It’s not easy to stop him, particularly when his side gets off to a flier.

Pooran is one of the rare batters to have brilliant gameplay against both pacers and spinners. He seems to have no weakness regarding his power-hitting game. The star batter has grown in stature in recent times. He is a brilliant WK and an exceptional fielder too. WI is lucky to have him in the team given his multiple contributions to the side.

6. Sherfane Rutherford

Sherfane Rutherford has been in the scheme of things in the last few months. The lack of form of Shimron Hetmyer has meant that the 2-time champions had to find an able replacement. So far, Sherfane Rutherford seems to have done a good job in offering the role in the middle order. Rutherford is a multi-skilled player.

The Southpaw can smash the bowlers for fun. In collapses, he can anchor the innings and take the team to a par score. In the series against Australia, he played a good innings and helped his side to post a good total on the board. If required, the right-arm medium pacer can offer an over or two. He will be handy for WI in the squad.

7. Roston Chase

Roston Chase can do what Marlon Samuels did for West Indies in 2012 and 2016. By nature, both are similar. In batting, they mostly anchor the innings and allow other batters to bat around them. With the ball, they are capable off-spinners who are miserly and give little to nothing to the batters. As fielders, they are fine enough.

Chase though, offers a bit more with the ball. The all-rounder has bowled a lot for WI in different formats. His exposure at the highest level will be key for WI. Chase is named the skipper of West Indies A for their tour of Nepal. The learnings in the series might help him as a player. He might well be in the playing XI of the 2-time champions.

8. Andre Russell

Andre Russell has been in phenomenal form in 2024. The star player started the year with a bang scoring runs at an aggressive rate in the ILT20 where not many batters were able to bat aggressively. He bowled well in the series too. The experienced player followed it up with good performances on the tour of Australia.

In the ongoing IPL 2024, the giant has played some good knocks with the bat. In addition to it, the right-arm pacer has won a couple of games with the ball. One thing is assured from Russell. You can never keep him out of the game. Either with the bat or with the ball, even in the field, he tries to make an impact, which could define the result of the matches.

9. Romario Shepherd

Romario Shepherd has been going through a purple patch as a finisher. In the series against England last year, he played some blinders on slow tracks and pulled off incredible wins. He is incredibly talented and has the muscle power to clear boundary ropes with ease. More importantly, he takes calculative risks and does not blindly slog.

In the IPL 2024, he played a couple of cameos for his side, Mumbai Indians. The viewers love to watch him bat given his aggression. In addition to his batting, Shepherd can be handy with the ball too. He is not a match-winner with the ball. But he can deliver an over or two to complete the quota of overs. A wicket or an economical spell from him would be a bonus.

10. Jason Holder

Jason Holder is an experienced player. The star all-rounder still has a lot of cricket left in him. When he dedicates himself to the task, Holder comes ik with brilliant performances. The prime example of it was in the period 2020-21 when he was good as an all-rounder. West Indies would love to see that version of Holder.

However, his form is a genuine concern for the men in maroon. In the last few months, Holder has not been able to deliver the goods. Holder’s accuracy is poor which has resulted in him being expensive. He can still bring value to the side by being a middle-overs bowler. But at this point, he might be in the squad as a backup option.

11. Gudakesh Motie

Gudakesh Motie is similar to Akeal Hosein in his approach. The focus and aim of the traditional left-arm orthodox spinner is to contain the batters. More often than not, he ends up bowling miserly spells. Batters have found it difficult to score runs against him. The accuracy of the emerging player is amazing. He has operated mostly the top teams in the world.

Against teams like India and England, he has bowled well. While Hosein is likely to control the new ball, Motie will be useful in the middle overs. While both of them mostly spin the ball away from the right-handers, it is not a bad option to have, given their performance for WI in the last few months. His place in the XI will depend on the nature of the pitches.

12. Alzarri Joseph

Alzarri Joseph has been in poor form in the ongoing IPL 2024. The expensive bowler struggled on the flat surface of Bengaluru. However, things might be different when West Indies play at home. The wickets are usually helpful for the slower bowlers. But the pacers who operate at a good pace can also get rewards. That’s where Joseph becomes crucial for the WI.

Much like Holder, Joseph might not be a sure starter for WI. He might be in the squad and be useful when the key bowler needs a bit of rest. In such cases, Alzarri must step up and give his best. To gain a bit of confidence, Alzarri must aim to claim wickets. If he can find his mojo back, the home side will be hugely benefited.

13. Akeal Hosein

Akeal Hosein has been the best bowler of the home side in recent times. He mostly operates with the new ball and gives away nothing for the batters. The left-arm orthodox spinner has the traditional stock delivery that goes away from the right-handers. In addition to that, he has a great arm ball. Akeal mixes them very well to keep the batters guessing.

Early in the powerplay overs, where batters try to take risks and score some runs, he will be extremely difficult to hit. On slow surfaces of West Indies, his bowling will play a key role for the home side. Even in the middle overs, he can take wickets. If required, the Southpaw can play a few cameos lower down the order.