Daily Times

BARBADOS: Shannon Gabriel could play his first ODI since the 2019 World Cup after being named in West Indies’ squad for their upcoming three-match series in South Africa. Gabriel made his international comeback in West Indies’ victory over Zimbabwe in the second Test in Bulawayo last week. With Anderson Phillip and Jayden Seales both injured, Gabriel has been picked to take early wickets after impressing for Trinidad and Tobago in the Regional Super50 Cup in November. Desmond Haynes, West Indies’ lead selector, 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.” Roston Chase also makes a return to the white-ball set-up, having played his most recent ODI against Ireland in January last year. The three-match ODI series, which runs from March 16-21, is West Indies’ first in the format since August 2022 and is not part of the World Cup Super League. The series will be West Indies’ first since Shai Hope’s permanent appointment as ODI captain last week. Rovman Powell, their new T20I captain, has been named as Hope’s deputy.

West Indies have stuck with the core of the squad that crashed out of last year’s T20 World Cup before the Super 12 stage for the three-match T20I series in South Africa, which follows the ODIs. CWI commissioned a review into West Indies’ performances at the T20 World Cup after their first-round elimination following defeats to Ireland and Scotland. In a damning report published last month, the three-man panel comprising Brian Lara, Mickey Arthur and Patrick Thompson Jr, a high-court judge, said that West Indies had a “golden opportunity to hit the reset button” ahead of the 2024 edition on home soil. Yet they have made a solitary change from the World Cup squad: Romario Shepherd, the seam-bowling allrounder, has replaced Evin Lewis. “For the T20Is, we have an experienced squad,” Haynes said. “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.”

West Indies ODI squad: Shai Hope (c), Rovman Powell (vc), 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.

West Indies T20I squad: Rovman Powell (c), Kyle Mayers (vc), 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.

West Indies in South Africa schedule:

February 21-23 — Warm-up match vs SA Invitational XI (Benoni)

Feb 28-March 4 — 1st Test (Centurion)

March 8-12 — 2nd Test (Johannesburg)

March 16 — 1st ODI (East London)

March 18 — 2nd ODI (East London)

March 21 — 3rd ODI (Potchefstroom)

March 25 — 1st T20I (Centurion)

March 26 — 2nd T20I (Centurion)

March 28 — 3rd T20I (Johannesburg).