Alzarri out, Shepherd and Blades in as Windies aim for comeback

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced the 15-member squad for the 50-over leg of the white-ball home series against Pakistan, set to take place at the iconic Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad. The series will feature three CG United One-Day Internationals (ODIs) on August 8, 10 and 12.

Hunting a fourth consecutive ODI series win at home, the squad has the nucleus of players who were successful during home series wins against England and Bangladesh at the end of 2024 as well as on the tour of the United Kingdom earlier this year.

The highly anticipated tour will be the final one of the ‘Full Ah Energy’ home series and provides an opportunity for CWI to focus on building its ODI team ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.

Alzarri Joseph has been given an extended rest to continue his workload management, while Romario Shepherd makes a return after missing the matches against Ireland and England earlier this year.

Head coach Daren Sammy is excited for the team to continue the momentum of the last 18 months.

“Pakistan presents a different test and challenge as we continue our push for automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup,” Sammy said. “While qualifying is our immediate goal, maintaining a winning mentality and team cohesion is essential for long-term success.”

“The upcoming matches against teams like Pakistan, who are ranked higher, provide crucial opportunities to earn valuable ranking points to improve our standing ahead of the World Cup.”

West Indies CG United ODI Squad: Shai Hope (Captain), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.

Team Management Unit: Head Coach Daren Sammy, Manager Rawl Lewis, Assistant Coach (Batting) Floyd Reifer, Assistant Coach (Bowling) Ravi Rampaul, Assistant Coach (Fielding) Rayon Griffith, Physiotherapist Dr Denis Byam, Strength & Conditioning Coach Ronald Rogers, Massage Therapist Fitzbert Alleyne, Analyst Avenesh Seetaram, Content & Media Officer Jerome Foster

Match Schedule – West Indies vs Pakistan 50-Over Series

1st ODI: August 8 – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad at 2 p.m.

2nd ODI: August 10 – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad at 9:30 a.m.

3rd ODI: August 12 – Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad at 9:30 a.m.

(SportsMax)