West Indies name T20I squad for the 4-match T20I series against Pakistan

West Indies Cricket announced the 17-man squad for the Twenty20 International series against the touring Pakistan team. Both the teams will clash in a four-match T20I series starting March 26 at the Kingston Oval. Carlos Brathwaite will be leading a team that misses half of their star players for the shortest format while four of the champions have been included.

Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree and Lendl Simmons were named in the team while Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy continued to remain absent. While Bravo is injured the doping ban Andre Russell faces has also hurt the team as the most sought after seam bowling allrounder in T20 cricket will not be available to serve the national team.

Carlos Brathwaite’s men last played against the same opponents and had lost all the three T20Is, though at their home then. Among the new faces given an opportunity is 30-year-old right-hand batsman Jason Mohammed. He was a part of the West Indies team for the ODI series against England and with two half centuries (72 and 50) has shown enough promise for the selection committee to bring him into the team for the home T20Is.

Another player who will possibly make his debut in the series is 27-year-old left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul. He has already featured in 6 Tests and as many ODIs for West Indies but is yet to be fielded in the T20I team. His T20 record of 60 matches and 58 wickets might not speak volumes of his potential but considering his recent form for the Guyana team in the Regional Super 50 tournament where he bagged 12 wickets in 8 outings but more impressive was his economy that was as low as 3.96 which is unique by T20 standards.

The rookie will have two seniors for company who have seen it all in this format of the game. Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine’s presence will give a lot of substantiality and vitality to the bowling attack. In the pace bowling department, the likes of Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton, and Keswick Williams will man the major responsibility against the touring Pakistani team.

West Indies squad for the T20Is against Pakistan

Samuel Badree, Carlos Brathwaite (C), Jonathan Carter, André Fletcher, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton, Keswick Williams