Trinidad: All-rounders Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine failed to make the cut as West Indies announced Wednesday their 15-man squad for the World Cup with Jason Holder set to lead the team for the tournament in England and Wales.
Hard-hitting opening batsman Chris Gayle, 39, was called up for what will be his fifth World Cup as was all-rounder Andre Russell, who is currently averaging 65 in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
“He’s (Russell) scored a lot of runs and we’ll be using him as a batting all-rounder,” coach Floyd Reifer said of Russell. “He’s doing very well in the IPL. We’ve got to manage his injuries and have three to four days rest between the games,” he added.
Pollard and Narine, who have not been part of the ODI setup since 2016, have played 166 ODIs between them but were both overlooked by an interim selection panel which comprised of Robert Haynes, Jimmy Adams and coach Reifer.
“The selection panel looked at the skill set of the players and the combinations,” Haynes said. “We’ve looked at the wickets that have been used in England in the past, players’ fitness and their urge to represent West Indies. Looking at all these aspects, we think we’ve come up with a balanced team.”
Evin Lewis, who missed the recent England series with an injury, was also named in the squad. There was also a return for fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who last played in 2017, alongside other quicks Kemar Roach and the relatively inexperienced Oshane Thomas.
West Indies, champions in 1975 and 1979, start their World Cup campaign on May 31 when they take on Pakistan in Nottingham.
The squad: Jason Holder (captain), Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wicket-keeper), Nicholas Pooran (wicket-keeper), Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Russell, Ashley Nurse, Shannon Gabriel, Fabian Allen, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell
