Defending world champions West Indies have recalled Ravi Rampaul for the first time since 2015 and left out six-hitting hero Carlos Brathwaite in their 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be held in the UAE and Oman in October-November this year.
The West Indies announced the squad early on Friday (IST), but there was no place for Brathwaite, who famously hit four consecutive sixes off England’s Ben Stokes in the final over of the 2016 World Cup to win the game for his country.
However, 36-year-old Rampaul is back in a West Indies T20I squad for the first time in six years.
“Ravi will boost the team’s wicket-taking options in the power-play and the middle phase and will provide another option for the death overs,” Roger Harper, the chief selector for Cricket West Indies (CWI) said.
Roston Chase is another notable name in the 15, earning a T20I call-up for the first time, thanks largely to his form in the Caribbean Premier League.
“Roston Chase has shown that he is a very capable T20 player,” Harper said. “He has shown the ability to knit the innings together while still scoring at a fast rate with a low dot-ball percentage. He will be an excellent foil for the explosive players in the team.”
West Indies get their title defence underway in Abu Dhabi on 23 October against the very country they beat in the final five years ago.
As well as opening opponents England, the West Indies will be joined in Group 1 by South Africa, Australia, and two qualifiers from Round 1. Only the top two finishers of the six will reach the knockout stages.
Squad: Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran (vice-captain), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas and Hayden Walsh jr.
Reserves: Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder and Akeal Hosein.
Source: IANS
