Vaibhav Tripathi
Shimron Hetmyer and Oshane Thomas have been called-up to the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Senior Men’s squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against India, set to commence on Thursday 27 July at Kensington Oval. The squad announcement came shortly after the second Test between West Indies and India was called off due to persistent rain in Trinidad on Day 5.
Hetmyer’s return comes after nearly a year of absence from the Caribbean side, but he earned his place back due to an impressive season in the Indian Premier League with the Rajasthan Royals, where he scored a total of 299 runs from 13 innings. In the past, he was left due to fitness issues. He was also not picked for the T20 World Cup in Australia as he missed a couple of flights. As for Thomas, he hasn’t played for the West Indies since the Pakistan tour during the 2021-22 season.
“We welcome Oshane and Shimron back into the group. Both have played at the international level before, with some success, and we believe they will fit well into the set-up. Oshane brings pace and is a potential wicket-taker with the new ball. Shimron’s style of batting will offer a lot especially in the middle stage of the innings and he is also a potential ‘finisher’,” said CWI Chief Selector Haynes in a release.
Young fast bowler Jayden Seales and leg-spinner Yannic Cariah have been included in the squad after recovering from their respective injury issues, along with left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who missed the home Test series against India due to a back problem.
All-rounder Keemo Paul was unavailable for selection due to an injury, and Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder were also not available for selection.
In addition to announcing the 15-member squad, CWI has listed seven additional players who will take part in the preparation camp. The squad was finalized after a four-day training camp at Kensington Oval, where the white-ball players geared up for the upcoming ODI series and the subsequent five-match T20I series.
West Indies ODI squad: Shai Hope (c), Rovman Powell (vc), Alick Athanaze, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Dominic Drakes, Shimron Hetmyer, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas
Additional Players at White-Ball Preparation Camp: Dennis Bulli, Roston Chase, McKenny Clarke, Kavem Hodge, Jair McCallister, Obed McCoy, Kevin Wickham