The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Wednesday announced its final squad for next month’s World T20 Championship in Sri Lanka. All-rounder Andre Russell and hard-hitting batsman Darren Bravo have both been recalled for the marquee tournament.
Bravo, 23, missed the entire home series against New Zealand due to a groin injury which he had sustained during the tour of United Kingdom, in June. Russell had also picked up an injury during the England itinerary and missed the T20 leg of the series against the Black Caps, in Florida, however he played in the ODI series in West Indies thereafter.
The remainder of the squad is the same that whitewashed New Zealand 2-0, in the Florida series last month. St Lucia all-rounder Darren Sammy will continue skippering the side and Trinidad all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, will deputize him in the marquee tournament.
West Indies fortunes will depend heavily on belligerent top order batsman, Chris Gayle, who played key role in New Zealand’s thumping at home last month. Kieron Pollard is another big hitter in the Windies line-up.
The 15-man touting party features three specialist seamers in Ravi Rampaul, Fidel Edwards and Andre Russell, while medium-pace of skipper Darren Sammy, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Smith will also be handy.
The latest instalment of the T20 showdown gets underway in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, on September 18. A total of 12 teams, divided into four groups of three each, will compete in the esteemed tournament, where England will be defending the title.
West Indies, the hosts of the previous edition of the T20 World Cup, have been drafted in Group B, alongside Australia and Ireland, in the 12-team tournament. Darren Sammy and Company will play a warm up game against Sri Lanka on September 13, before taking on mighty Aussies in their first game of the esteemed tournament on September 22, at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (Capt.), Dwayne Bravo (vice-capt), Samuel Badree, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith.
