Cricket West Indies on Tuesday announced an 18-member provisional squad for the summer, as a few familiar faces returned to the International circuit. The trio of Caribbean players at Punjab Kings- Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Fabian Allen, have all retained their places in the roster.
West Indies are set to host 15 T20 International games in the coming few months, with Pakistan, Australian and South Africa touted to visit the Caribbean shores. Following these games, they set about their quest to defend their crown in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Kieron Pollard is set to continue as captain of the team for these upcoming games, with Nicholas Pooran staying on as vice-captain. Chris Gayle, who made a comeback to the national team in their home series against Sri Lanka, also continues to keep his place in the team.
The 41-year-old performed admirably in the 2021 VIVO Indian Premier League for Punjab Kings, scoring 178 runs in eight matches. His franchise compatriot Fabian Allen also did well for Punjab Kings, picking up one wicket in two games while maintaining an economy rate marginally above seven for this season. The all-rounder has been rewarded for that as he retains his spot in the International squad for West Indies.
"The Provisional T20I Squad was put together with all T20I Home Series Matches against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan in mind," West Indies’ Lead Selector, Roger Harper said.
"This gives us the opportunity to continue to build towards the upcoming World Cup and to determine our best squad and our ideal eleven," he added.
"These upcoming T20Is are crucial in terms of our preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup," West Indies Head Coach, Phil Simmons said while going on to add. "We have assembled a very solid squad with experienced world-class match-winners and some exciting young talented players, ready to explode onto the global stage and do great things for West Indies cricket.
Provisional squad: Kieron Pollard (C), Nicholas Pooran (VC), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr
