WI vs PAK 2025: Matthew Forde ruled out of ODI squad with dislocated shoulder
Forde dislocated his shoulder earlier in the week while trying to attempt a catch during a practice session.
A shoulder dislocation has ruled out Matthew Forde for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan. Forde suffered the setback earlier in the week while the usual fielding and catch drills during a practice session were going on in the Caribbean set-up.
Pace-bowling all-rounder of the West Indian cricket academy Johann Layne has been named as Forde's replacement. The 21-year-old is amongst the quicks who have impressed Ian Bishop, who had earlier labelled him as “rangy, tall and intelligent.”
West Indies will also miss Forde's lower-order expertise with the willow. He jointly holds the record for the fastest fifty up until the time of writing. The 16-ball half-century came in a 50-over game against Ireland in May earlier this year.
Alzarri Joseph has been rested on the basis of workload management concerns for the spearhead pace bowler. As a result, Romario Shepherd has been chosen to fill Joseph's void. Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph, Romario Shepherd and Jediah Blades are the other pacers in the hosts' artillery.
The Windies would be aiming at moving forward from the 1-2 loss to Pakistan in the T20I series. They will be aiming at claiming a fourth-consecutive ODI series win. As far as ODIs are concerned, the Men in Maroon have beaten England twice (2-1 on both instances) and Bangladesh once (3-0) since the start of 2023.
WI announce squad for ODIs versus PAK, Shepherd returns
West Indies have not had the best of times with ODIs in the past. They missed out on qualifying for the World Cup 2023 and the Champions Trophy 2025 due to their ICC ranking. As far as qualification for the 2027 World Cup is concerned, securing a berth even there is far from guaranteed. Realistically speaking, they need to finish within the top nine sports (one place above their current spot) to ensure automatic passage at the cutoff date. A series win against Pakistan, who are ranked six places above them in the table as of now, would surely help them massively.
West Indies updated squad for Pakistan ODIs: Shai Hope (c & wk), Jewel Andre, Keacy Carty, Amir Jangoo, Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Romario Shepherd, Jediah Blades, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, and Johann Layne
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