West Indies have announced their squad for the T20I series against Australia, handing a maiden call-up to teenage sensation Jewel Andrew.
Cricket West Indies annouced a 16-member squad for the Australia T20Is starting July 20 on Wednesday (July 16). Shai Hope will continue as the T20I captain in a squad that has several senior T20 stars including Jason Holder, Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetyer, and Akeal Hossein.
Andre Russell will play the first two matches of the series, before he retires from international cricket in front of a home crowd at Sabina Park. He will be replaced in the squad by Matthew Forde for the final three matches.
Jewel Andrew handed maiden T20I call-up
Two uncapped players have been named in West Indies' squad as well - Andrew and left-arm seamer Jediah Blades. Andrew, 18 years of age, made his international debut last year and has played three matches in the format so far. He shot into limelight at CPL 2024, becoming the youngest debutant in the history of the tournament at 17 years of age and smashing an unbeaten 30-ball 50.
He has also represented West Indies at the Under-19 World Cup, in 2024, where he was their highest scorer with 207 runs at an average of 69 and a strike-rate of 109.52. Across his senior T20 career, Andrew averages 25.37 and strikes at 114.68. His ceiling, however, is expected to be much higher than what his numbers suggest.
Blades has also played ODI cricket, making his debut against Bangladesh last year. He would, however, like to forget that outing and make a better start to his T20I career as he set the unwanted record of having the worst economy rate on ODI debut.
Head coach Darren Sammy outlined West Indies' focus on the upcoming T20 World Cup heading into the Australia T20Is: “Our goals and strategic plans are aligned to winning the T20 World Cup in 2026. We have continuity in the squad from the previous series and as a unit we will continue to fine tune our style and brand ahead of the World Cup.
“Our previous two T20 series at home we were on the wrong end of the results but starting against Australia, we want to regain our form at home as we build momentum into next year’s World Cup with our exciting and dynamic group of players.”
West Indies squad for Australia T20Is
Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd.
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