The West Indies Senior Men’s Selection Panel on Tuesday named Roston Chase as the replacement for Obed McCoy in the 15-member squad for the T20 International Series (T20I) against South Africa starting on March 25.
McCoy was named in the original squad subject to medical clearance but has been ruled out of the upcoming series due to a knee injury.
Lead Selector, The Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes, said: “Roston gets an opportunity in the upcoming series as we see him being a versatile player who can be called upon at any stage in the game. We want to wish Obed the best with his rehabilitation programme and hope to see him back in West Indies colours soon.”
The three-match T20I Series bowls off on Saturday 25 March at SuperSport Park in Centurion.
The second match will be at the same venue the following day, while the third match will be at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Tuesday 28 March.
The T20I Series is preceded by a three-match One-Day International (ODI) Series.
The first two matches will be at Buffalo Park in East London on March 16 and March 18, with the final contest on March 21 at JB Marks Oval Potchefstroom.
T20I SQUAD
Rovman Powell (Captain)
Kyle Mayers (Vice Captain)
Shamarh Brooks
Yannic Cariah
Johnson Charles
Roston Chase
Sheldon Cottrell
Jason Holder
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Nicholas Pooran
Raymon Reifer
Romario Shepherd
Odean Smith
West Indies white ball match schedule in South Africa
Thursday, 16 March: 1st ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Saturday, 18 March: 2nd ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Tuesday, 21 March: 3rd ODI at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Saturday, 25 March: 1st T20Is at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sunday, 26 March: 2nd T20I at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tuesday, 28 March: 3rd T20I at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (night)
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s Selection Panel, on Monday, announced the One-Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) squads for the upcoming series against South Africa.
The West Indies will play three ODIs on March 16, 18 and 21, followed by three T20Is on March 25, 26 and 28.
In the ODIs, Shai Hope will have his first series as captain with allrounder Rovman Powell appointed as the new vice-captain. In the T20Is, captain Rovman Powell will be supported by a new vice-captain in batting allrounder Kyle Mayers.
Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel has earned a recall to the ODI squad on the back of his performances during the CG United Super50 Cup last November.
He was the joint leading wicket-taker spearheading the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force bowling attack, taking 15 wickets in seven matches at an average of 14.2. He last played ODIs for the West Indies at the ICC Cricket World Cup in July 2019.
Left-arm pacer Obed McCoy has been named in the T20I squad subject to medical clearance. Fast bowler Jayden Seales remains unavailable for selection following a knee injury and subsequent surgery, while another fast bowler Anderson Phillip has returned to training but is not yet match-fit.
Lead Selector the Most Hon. Dr Desmond Haynes said: “We have had some injuries to our fast-bowling pool so therefore we see Gabriel as an ideal fit heading into South Africa, and the surfaces we expect to play on. It is felt that we need someone to get those early wickets and he is the kind of bowler that can do that. Judging from his performances in the CG United Super50 Cup, he is potentially a wicket-taking option up front.”
Haynes added: “For the T20Is, we have an experienced squad. What we are looking for is to form a cohesive unit and look at the players who we believe can form the nucleus as we build towards doing very well and challenging when we host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June 2024.”
FULL SQUADS
One-Day Internationals
Shai Hope (Captain)
Rovman Powell (Vice Captain)
Shamarh Brooks
Yannic Cariah
Keacy Carty
Roston Chase
Shannon Gabriel
Jason Holder
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Kyle Mayers
Nicholas Pooran
Romario Shepherd
Odean Smith
T20 Internationals
Rovman Powell (Captain)
Kyle Mayers (Vice Captain)
Shamarh Brooks
Yannic Cariah
Johnson Charles
Sheldon Cottrell
Jason Holder
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Obed McCoy
Nicholas Pooran
Raymon Reifer
Romario Shepherd
Odean Smith
White ball schedule in South Africa
Thursday, 16 March: 1st ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Saturday, 18 March: 2nd ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Tuesday, 21 March: 3rd ODI at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Saturday, 25 March: 1st T20Is at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sunday, 26 March: 2nd T20I at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tuesday, 28 March: 3rd T20I at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (night)
Shai Hope and Rovman Powell have been named captains of the West Indies white-ball teams, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced.
Hope is the new captain of the West Indies Men’s One-Day International (ODI) team and Rovman Powell as the new captain of the West Indies Men’s T20 International (T20I) team.
Hope, the wicketkeeper/batter and Powell, the batting all-rounder, take over from Nicholas Pooran, who stepped down from the positions last November following the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
The first assignments for both captains will be the upcoming tour of South Africa in March where the West Indies face the Proteas in three ODIs and three T20Is from 16 to 28 March, following two matches in the ICC World Test Championship.
Each captain will be heavily involved in strategy and planning leading up to the next ICC World Tournaments. In ODI cricket, the West Indies are likely to need to qualify for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, with the qualifiers scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe in June. In T20I cricket, the West Indies will be hosting the next ICC T20 World Cup with the USA in June 2024.
Hope is selected as ODI captain after demonstrating strong leadership on and off the field and experiencing the vice-captain role over a number of Series since 2019. He became vice-captain for a second time in June 2022 and played his 100th ODI for the West Indies against India in July last year. Hope has played 104 ODIs and was recently selected in the ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2022.
“It is a tremendous honour and privilege to be appointed captain of any West Indies team,” Hope said of his appointment.
“To lead a team that is of such incredible significance not only to myself and my teammates but to our legion of fans the world over, is something one dreams of as a child.
“The rich history and legacy that our region and our brand of cricket is so famous and loved for, requires no intricate explanation. I would like to thank CWI for entrusting me with this immense opportunity. To navigate West Indies cricket in the right direction will be my fundamental priority and a task that I shall be unwaveringly committed to. With the support of my team-mates and our dedicated fans, I look forward to a long and fulfilling tenure as captain of the West Indies One-Day International team.”
CWI’s Selection Panel recommended Powell as T20I captain, referencing his demonstrated leadership acumen and tactical ability when acting as the West Indies T20I vice-captain and as captain for Jamaica in 2022 with double success in both regional competitions.
He led Jamaica winning firstly the Caribbean Premier League with the Tallawahs in September before captaining the Jamaica Scorpions to the CG United Super50 Cup title in November.
“I’m truly humbled and grateful to be given this amazing opportunity to lead the West Indies. For me, this a huge vote of confidence and I see this as the greatest honour of my career,” Powell said.
“To be asked to ‘carry the flag’ for the people of the Caribbean, there’s no bigger role in cricket in the region — a job previously held by some of the greatest servants of West Indies cricket.
“I also want to thank CWI for allowing me to guide the team in the coming years as we set sights on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which we will be jointly hosting with the USA next year. I’m a passionate cricketer who believes in leading from the front and always giving 100 percent. “
Match schedule in South Africa
21 to 24 February: vs South Africa Invitational XI at Willowmoore Park, Benoni
28 February to 4 March: 1st Test at SuperSport Park, Centurion
8-12 March: 2nd Test at the Wanderers, Johannesburg
Thursday, 16 March: 1st ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Saturday, 18 March: 2nd ODI at Buffalo Park, East London (day/night)
Tuesday, 21 March: 3rd ODI at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Saturday, 25 March: 1st T20Is at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sunday, 26 March: 2nd T20I at SuperSport Park, Centurion
Tuesday, 28 March: 3rd T20I at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (night)
Kieron Pollard’s half-century was not sufficient to prevent the MI Emirates from going down to a four-wicket loss to Gulf Giants in Qualifier 2 in Sharjah on Friday.
With the win Gulf Giants booked a place in Sunday’s 2023 ILT20 final where they will face Desert Vipers.
Coming off their emphatic eight-wicket victory over Dubai Capitals on Thursday MI Emirates looked a jaded team, scoring 167-5 from their 20 overs.
Pollard scored an unbeaten 57 from 35 balls while Nicholas Pooran contributed with 29 and opener Mohammad Waseem, 31.
Chris Jordan took 2-25 and David Wiese 2-31.
In reply, James Vince played a gem of an innings, scoring unbeaten 83 including the winning runs, a four off Fazalhaq Farooqi as Gulf Giants scored 168-6 from 18.1 overs.
Farooqi took 2-27 and Rashid Khan, 2-40 in the losing cause. Dwayne Bravo took 1-27.
Half-centuries from Andre Fletcher and Nicholas Pooran spurred MI Emirates to a convincing eight-wicket win over the Dubai Capitals at Sharjah and a place in Qualifier 2 to face Gulf Giants on Friday.
Unbeaten half-centuries from Alex Hales and Sherfane Rutherford led the Desert Vipers to a comfortable seven-wicket win over the MI Emirates in their DP World IL T20 fixture at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
The Emirates’ innings got off to the worst possible start with openers Muhammad Wasim (5) and Vritiya Aravind (3) being removed within the first three overs after the Vipers won the toss and elected to field first.
Grenadian Andre Fletcher and former West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran then combined to put on 43 for the third wicket before Fletcher fell in the ninth over for 21 to leave them 53-3.
Captain Kieron Pollard then joined Pooran at the crease and the pair batted excellently, eventually bringing up their 100-run partnership in the 19th over, the same over which saw Pooran bring up a well-compiled 50.
Pollard brought up his 50, his second in a row, in the previous over with a trademark straight six.
The partnership reached 116 when Pooran was finally dismissed, bowled by Tom Curran in the final over for 57.
In the end, the Emirates closed their innings 169-5 off 20 overs with Pollard not out on 67 from 39 balls including one boundary and six sixes.
The Vipers chase was rocked early when Trent Boult removed Rohan Mustafa for one in the first over to bring captain Collin Munro to the crease.
Hales and Munro put on a partnership before Munro was removed by a spectacular catch from Kieron Pollard for 41 in the eighth over.
One brought two for the Emirates as Samit Patel got his second wicket in the over, removing Sam Billings for just one to leave the Vipers 76-3 bringing Sherfane Rutherford to the crease.
At the halfway stage of the chase, the Vipers were 101-3 with Hales (34) and Rutherford (18) going smoothly.
The pair continued along and Hales brought up his fifth score of 50+ in a row in the 15th over before a single in the 16th over brought up Rutherford’s 50 off just 26 balls.
The match was ended in the 17th over when Rutherford hit a boundary and then a single to lead the Vipers to their fourth win in five games.
Hales ended up unbeaten on 62 from 44 balls while Rutherford faced 29 balls for his 56. Hales’ knock included six fours and two sixes while Rutherford hit four fours and three sixes.
Scores: MI Emirates 169-5 from 20 overs, Desert Vipers 170-3 from 17.3 overs.
The preparations for the IPL 2023 are underway, and all ten franchises have completed their squads after buying their preferred players at the recently concluded IPL auction.
Sam Curran became the most expensive player in IPL’s history after Punjab Kings bought him for 18.50 crore. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes and Cameron Green also went big.
One surprising pick that went for big money was West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran. Lucknow Super Giants spent 16 crore (US$ 2 million) on the 27-year-old, which left many shocked.
Pooran has had his moments of fame in the IPL, but his overall stats are disappointing, which is why the fans felt that Pooran has been overpaid by the KL Rahul-led franchise.
In 47 matches in his IPL career, Pooran has scored just 912 runs, including four fifty-plus scores.
LSG’s global mentor, Gautam Gambhir, responded to the trolls and criticism for Pooran and justified the big spending on the Caribbean star.
Gambhir said that he does not judge a player by last year’s performance but looks at its impact on the game.
“I do not look at the last season. I look at a player’s ability and impact. Pooran can win us 2-3 matches, and with age on his side, we wanted him to build the team around him.”
Gambhir took an indirect dig on old-school players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who score fifty-plus runs but at an underwhelming strike rate.
“The tournament is not about scoring 500-600 runs in a season. It is about winning matches by scoring impactful runs.”
Nicholas Pooran has bounced back nicely from the disappointment of the 2022 ICC World Cup, leading Deccan Gladiators to the title following a 37-run victory over New York Strikers in the final of the Abu Dhabi T10 on Sunday.
In the day/night fixture, Captain Pooran scored a 23-ball 40 as Gladiators scored 128-4 from their 10 overs. Pooran’s incredible form with the bat continued in the final, hitting five fours and a six as he and David Weise put on 74 runs in 30 balls after the side reached 54-3 after five overs.
Akeal Hosein had the champions in early trouble after dismissing Suresh Raina and Tom Kohler-Cadmore for seven and 11, respectively, and Wahab Riaz dismissed Andre Russell for nine in the first five overs.
Weise was even more brutal on the New York Strikers smashing two fours and four sixes in his 43 runs that came from just 18 balls. Pollard dismissed Pooran off the last ball of the innings to finish with figures of 1-16 in the only over he bowled.
However, Hosein was the best of the bowlers with 2-16 from his two overs.
Chasing 129 for victory, New York Strikers slumped to 29-4 midway the fourth over and were never able to recover. They suffered another blow when Pollard was forced to retire hurt after scoring 23 from 15 balls.
Jordan Thompson remained unbeaten on 22 while Azam Kkan contributed 16 and was the only other batter in double figures as Strikers could only muster 91-5 from their allotment of overs.
Josh Little, who claimed the wickets of Mohammad Waseem for a duck and Rashid Khan for eight, had the remarkable figures of 2-4 from his two overs. Meanwhile, Mohammad Hasnain took 2-12.
Weise was named Player of the Match for his exciting cameo and taking two catches.
Pooran, who has had scores of 77*, 80, 34, 50 and 38 prior to Sunday's final, amassed 345 runs during the tournament and was named Player of the Series.
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell smashed a 32-ball 63 to help the Deccan Gladiators beat the Morrisville Samp Army by eight wickets in Qualifier 2 and advance to the final of the Abu Dhabi T10 League in the UAE on Saturday.
The Samp Army posted 119-2 from their 10 overs after losing the toss. Captain Moeen Ali hit six fours and six sixes on his way to a top score of 78 not out off just 29 balls while South African David Miller ended not out on 16.
Russell, who opened the batting alongside Tom Kohler-Cadmore, then set the stage for a successful chase with seven fours and four sixes on his way to 63. Captain Nicholas Pooran then added the finishing touches with an unbeaten 38 off just 12 balls as the Gladiators reached 121-2 in 9.4 overs.
Earlier on Saturday, they defeated Team Abu Dhabi by five runs in the eliminator.
Their opponents in Sunday’s final will be Kieron Pollard’s New York Strikers who beat the Samp Army by four wickets in Qualifier 1.
Captain Nicholas Pooran and Tom Kohler-Cadmore combined to lead the Deccan Gladiators to a 10-wicket win over the Bangla Tigers in the Abu Dhabi T10 League at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The Tigers posted a respectable 108-7 from their 10 overs after winning the toss and batting first. Pakistani all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed starred with a 21-ball 54 including three fours and five sixes against his countryman Mohammad Hasnain’s 2-12 from two overs and David Wiese’s 2-15, also from two overs.
Pooran ‘s Gladiators then absolutely sprinted to their target thanks to an unbeaten 109-run opening stand between himself and Englishman Tom Kohler-Cadmore.
The pair needed just 6.1 overs to reach their target as Pooran hammered an even 50, his third half-century so far, off just 16 balls including seven sixes. Kohler-Cadmore had the same score off 21 balls and hit five fours and four sixes.
The Gladiators now lead the eight-team table with eight points from six games.
Nicholas Pooran’s purple patch with the bat continued on Sunday as the Deccan Gladiators notched a close 18-run win over Delhi Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10.
Pooran, who came into the match with scores of 77 and 80, scored 34 from just 17 balls as Gladiators posted 140-2 from their 10 overs.
After losing Jason Roy for four in the first over, Pooran hit three fours and two sixes as he and opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore added 122 for the second wicket. Pooran was eventually dismissed in the ninth over by Waquas Maqsood, who took 1-21.
Meanwhile, Kohler-Cadmore blasted his way to an unbeaten 82 with eight fours and six sixes.
He and Andre Russell put on 12 in the final eight balls with the Jamaican scoring 10 that included a six over extra cover off Shimraz Ahmed, who conceded 11 in the over.
Imad Wasim had figures of 1-17.
Delhi Bulls made a good fist of it to score 122-4 from their 10 overs.
They owed their solid effort to a 24-ball 48 from Tim David and Rilee Rossouw, who scored 28 from 15. However, needing to score 14 an over proved too much for Delhi Bulls despite a gallant 14 not out from eight balls from Keemo Paul at the end.
David and Rossouw put on 79 for the third wicket after Tom Banton (12) and Rahkeem Cornwall (2) were back in the hutch in the third over with 26 runs on the board.
Russell got rid of the dangerous David in the ninth over effectively swinging the pendulum in Gladiators’ favour for the remaining 10 balls from which the Delhi Bulls could only muster 17 runs.
Russell’s two overs cost 26 runs but Josh Little proved much more effective with the wickets of Cornwall and Rossouw to return figures of 2-11.
Nicholas Pooran and Brandon King scored fifties while Carlos Brathwaite produced an excellent all-round display on day three of the Abu Dhabi T10 League in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday.
In the first game of Friday's triple-header, Nicholas Pooran carried on from his unbeaten 77 on the opening night and hit 80 off 32 deliveries to catapult Deccan Gladiators to 138 for 3 against the Northern Warriors- the highest score of the tournament so far. Pooran’s knock included 10 fours and three sixes.
Despite a half-century from Adam Lyth, the Warriors struggled to get close and finished 24 runs short. Rovman Powell's side remains without a win after two games.
The day’s second game between Brandon King’s Team Abu Dhabi and Dwayne Bravo’s Delhi Bulls ended in a tie.
After winning the toss, an unbeaten third-wicket 101-run stand between James Vince (26* off 20) and King (64* off 27) had earlier helped Abu Dhabi post 120 for 2.
The Bulls then reached 120-5 from their 10 overs in reply. Imad Wasim (21 not out) and Tim David (20) were the chief scorers while Keemo Paul also contributed a rapid 16 from seven balls.
The day’s third game saw Carlos Brathwaite help the Chennai Braves get on the board with a win over Bangla Tigers.
His 44 not out off 19 balls saw them post 126 for 6 and with the ball, the West Indian picked up two wickets in two deliveries in his first over before returning in the last over to pick up two more and finish with figures of 4 for 3 as the Tigers stuttered to 93 and their second defeat in as many nights.
West Indies wicketkeeping great Jeffrey Dujon believes the decision taken by captain Nicholas Pooran to step down is the best one for the player at this point in time.
The 27-year-old, who took charge of the region’s white-ball teams earlier this year, made the surprise decision to step down as captain, after just 7 months on the job.
As captain of the team, Pooran had faced severe pressure following the team’s poor showing at the T20 World Cup. The West Indies failed to advance from the first round of the competition, following losses to Scotland and Ireland. The results led to the resignation of the team’s head coach Phil Simmons but having only just been appointed to the post, Pooran was widely expected to keep the position.
Dujon admitted to being surprised but believes the player has done the right thing given the circumstances.
“I think it’s a good thing for him. As a young player, you have been given responsibility but things haven’t worked out for him,” Dujon told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“He still has a career ahead of him and shedding this responsibility might just help his cricket as time goes on,” he added.
Pooran captained the T20 team for 23 matches, winning 8 and losing 14 for a win ratio of 35 percent.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed today that Nicholas Pooran has decided to relinquish the white ball captaincy of the West Indies Men’s team following the team’s exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 tournament just completed in Australia.
“I have given the captaincy a great deal of thought since the enormous disappointment of the T20 World Cup," said Pooran. "I took on the role with great pride and dedication and have given it absolutely everything over the past year.
“The T20 World Cup is something that must not define us and I will readily get involved in the upcoming reviews. And whilst it will be several months until we reconvene as a squad, I want to give CWI plenty of time to prepare for the matches against South Africa in March and beyond.”
The Trinidadian middle-order batsman said relinquishing the captaincy is not an indicator that he was throwing in the towel.
“This is not me giving up. I remain ambitious and still view the captaincy of West Indies cricket as an honour that is bestowed upon you. There is no doubt I remain fully committed to West Indies cricket and I look forward to providing my services as a senior player in a supportive role," he said.
"By stepping down now as the West Indies white ball captain I believe it is in the best interests of the team and for me personally, as I need to concentrate on what I can deliver to the side as a player. I desperately want us to be successful and the most value I can give to the team is through fully focusing on the role of consistently scoring runs at crucial times.
“I am very thankful to CWI for the opportunity and faith shown in me and for the support that I have received by our devoted fans since taking the role, and to my teammates who have worked so hard as well. I know we have it in us to carry West Indies cricket forward and be proud.”
CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams thanked Pooran for his time leading the two teams.
“On behalf of CWI I want to thank Nicholas for his time leading our white ball teams. Having spoken with him I know he remains fully committed to West Indies cricket and I am convinced he has a big role to play in our future,” Adams said.
Last year and earlier this year, Pooran led the West Indies in the absence of Kieron Pollard, enjoying a T20 International (T20I) Series win against Australia at home (4-1). He was officially appointed West Indies Men’s white ball captain in May this year when Pollard stepped down. Overall, Pooran led the team in 17 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 23 T20Is, recording Series wins against the Netherlands (ODI 3-0) and Bangladesh (T20I 2-0).
The West Indies Men’s next white ball series is against South Africa in March 2023 (directly after the two Test Match Series) and consists of three ODIs and three T20Is.
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