West Indies have announced their white-ball squads for the upcoming three-match ODI and T20I series against Australia. While the ODI squad is devoid of some key players because of their commitment to T20 leagues around the world, the T20I squad is as formidable as it could potentially be.
Arguably the biggest surprise is the non-selection of Shimron Hetmyer, who was not a part of the last three T20Is against England during a five-match series at home recently.
The other noteworthy move is the inclusion of Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers in the T20I squad. The duo wasn't included in the Test squad after it made itself unavailable for selection.
Mayers and Holder alongside Brandon King and Sherfane Rutherford will be playing franchise cricket before joining the rest of the squad for the T20I series starting February 9 at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
While Hetmyer's T20 numbers are good enough, his T20I record doesn't make for a good reading. The southpaw has managed to aggregate 3696 runs in 190 T20 games at a strike rate of 133.09, he has merely accumulated 902 runs in 57 T20Is at a strike rate of 118.21.
The 2016 U19 World Cup-winning captain had an underwhelming run during the ODI series against England at home and failed to turn his fortunes around in the first two T20Is against the same opposition.
Having claimed the ODI and T20I series against England on home turf recently, the chief selector Desmond Haynes believes that the team can put up an impressive performance in Australia.
"On the back of a series win against England, we are expecting our ODI team to be very competitive in Australia," Haynes was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"We have some new inclusions, who have impressed over a significant period and a couple of returning players, who we think will have an impact.
"For the T20I series, this forms part of our crucial preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup where we are hosts. We are hoping to build on strong overall performances against India and England and to keep improving as we approach the major tournament," he added.
West Indies ODI squad:
Shai Hope (c), Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze, Teddy Bishop, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.
West Indies T20I squad:
Rovman Powell (c), Shai Hope, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas.
