Hetmyer, Hope, Thomas Return to West Indies T20I Squad for India Series

The provisional 15-man squad, which will travel for all the five matches - to be played from August 3 and 13 - will be trimmed to a squad of 13 for each game before a final XI is picked.

Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer, as well as Oshane Thomas, have been recalled to the West Indies T20I squad for the fivematch series against India as they look for the “right combinations” ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, to be played at home in the Caribbean and the USA.

From West Indies’ last T20I squad, which won 2-1 in South Africa in March, the selectors have left out Shamarh Brooks, Raymon Reifer, Yannic Cariah and Sheldon Cottrell.

Lead selector Desmond Haynes said in a press conference that Cariah and Cottrell were in the selectors’ conversations, but they chose the “express pace” of Thomas and were content with just two spinners in the squad: Roston Chase and Akeal Hosein. Haynes also urged the ground staff in the Caribbean to prepare pitches with more purchase for the fast bowlers going forward in T20Is, so that West Indies will have an advantage over certain teams at the T20 World Cup.

“We want people with a little bit of X-factor,” Haynes said on the inclusion of Thomas and Hope. “With Oshane, we’re looking at somebody who is going to make a difference with pace. As you know, Oshane was in the wilderness for a while, he’s come back and worked very hard. He seemed to me as though he’s very keen and really wants to get back to top shape and also to be bowling fast again. I personally think that we need to find some fast bowlers in the Caribbean and I think with the start with Oshane, I’m hoping that [it’s] time to get ready to go to Australia for the Test series [in January 2024] with six or seven fast bowlers.

“We thought that Shai is obviously batting very well and well enough to play all three competitions for West Indies.

“The squad is selected with the next ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in mind. We are looking at various plans as we try to find the right combinations. As we prepare, we are looking to build a unit which we believe can do the job when we host the global event in just under a year. We have some match-winners in our line-up and we will look to have the right kind of preparation, starting here in Trinidad on Thursday.”

Haynes added that some other players could “come into consideration going forward” depending on performances in the CPL starting on August 17.