Barbados: All-rounder Jason Mohammed will lead the notably weakened 13-man West Indies national side in the three-match T20I series against Pakistan, beginning April 1 at the Karachi’s National Stadium.
West Indies regular skipper Carlos Brathwaite, who rose to fame after smashing four consecutive sixes off England’s Ben Stokes delivery to seal the 2016 World Twenty20 title, will miss the upcoming T20I series due to security concerns.
While wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin has received a recall in the national squad, all-rounder Andre McCarthy and paceman Odean Smith have also earned their maiden call-ups.
Opener Andre Fletcher, who played for Peshawar Zalmi in the finals of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) against Islamabad United, has also been named for the T20I series against Pakistan.
While Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin and Samuel Badree are the most experienced players featuring in the national squad, skipper Jason Holder, Chris Gayle and Devendra Bishoo are omitted from the squad.
It should be noted that only four players of the side that were in West Indies’ squad for the World Cup qualifiers earlier this month, will head to Pakistan.
Reflecting on the upcoming tour, Cricket West Indies (CWI) Chief Executive Officer Jonny Grave said the series would be a major step in the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) effort to bring cricket back home.
“Following the successful hosting of the Pakistan Super League final in Karachi on the weekend, our squad are now en route to Pakistan for our three-match T20I series. This tour is a further major step for our friends at the PCB to bring their cricket back home, and we are pleased that our players and support staff have recognised this and supported this venture,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Grave, as saying.
Pakistan and reigning world T20 champions West Indies will play the opening match on April 1, which will be followed by two other matches on April 2 and April 3.
Earlier, the Caribbean side’s tour to Pakistan was due to take place in November last year, but adverse weather conditions in Lahore and the West Indies’ major players commitment to the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) became the main reasons behind the postponement.
The West Indies full squad is as follows:
Jason Mohammad (capt), Samuel Badree, Rayad Emrit, Andre Fletcher, Andre McCarthy, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Marlon Samuels, Odean Smith, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams.
ANI