Best West Indies Playing XI For ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022

Best West Indies Playing XI For ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. West Indies announced their 15-member squad on September 14 which will be led by wicket-keeper batsman Nicholas Pooran. It will be Nicholas Pooran’s first-time appearance as a captain in the T20 World Cup 2022. Rovman Powell has been appointed as vice-captain of the team.

Two-time T20 World Cup champions, West Indies will kick off their campaign in the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup on October 17. Windies have lifted the World Cup trophy in the shortest format the most number of times by any team, in 2012 and 2016. In the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2022, however, West Indies are not directly qualified for the Super 12 stage. The Caribbean side will have to play in the First Round before making it to Super 12.

West Indies are placed in Group B in Round 1 of the T20I World Cup 2022. The Caribbean will play Scotland in their opening group on 17 October. On 19 October they will take on Zimbabwe and finally Ireland on 21 October. Out of four teams in either group, two teams with the most points will make it to the Super 12 stage.

In white-ball cricket, while the West Indies have always been a force to reckon with, they would be without the services of several big names in Australia. Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Chris Gayle – who have done wonders for the Men in Maroon over the last many years, will not be seen in Australia as West Indies will look to prove their mettle with the new squad.

Sunil Narine is another notable absentee, while Shimron Hetmyer was dropped from the T20 World Cup 2022 squad when he failed to board his “rescheduled” trip to Australia. Top-order batsman Shamarh Brooks replaced Shimron Hetmyer in the 2022 T20I World Cup squad.

West Indies T20 World Cup Squad: Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith, Shamarh Brooks.

Best West Indies Playing XI For ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022

Kyle Mayers

Kyle Mayers is a left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer from West Indies. Kyle Mayers will be one of the openers for the team in the World Cup. The left-handed batsman scored 72 runs in 2 games in the T20I series against Bangladesh, 110 runs in 4 T20Is against India, a mere 5 runs in 2 T20Is against New Zealand and only 45 runs in 2 T20Is against Australia. He picked his maiden T20I wicket in the 1st T20I against Australia.

Evin Lewis

Left-hand opening batter Evin Lewis has been recalled to the West Indies squad for the first time since the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. A veteran of 50 T20Is, opener Evin Lewis averages 30 plus and has a strike rate of 150 plus in T20Is. He had a poor 2021 T20I World Cup after which he didn’t play any T20I. He scored only 105 runs in 5 T20Is averaging 21.

Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran is the skipper of West Indies in the 2022 T20I World Cup. In the T20I series against Bangladesh, Nicholas Pooran mustered 108 runs in 2 innings after which his poor form continued as he managed only 81 runs in 5 T20Is against India (average of 16.2), 16 runs in 2 T20Is against Kiwis (average of 8) and 4 runs in 2 T20Is against Australia (average of 2).

The year 2022 has been quite decent for him so far. He’s the top-scorer of the calendar year in the format from his team – 557 from 19 innings averaging 32.76 and features five times in the list of top-10 individual scores for West Indies in 2022.

Rovman Powell

Rovman Powell, the vice-captain, might be a middle-order batter for West Indies in the 2022 T20I World Cup. The right-handed batsman gave a good performance in the previous T20I series against Bangladesh. He scored 66 runs in 2 innings with a top knock of unbeaten 61 runs in one game. He failed against India (75 runs in 5 T20Is averaging 15) and Australia (25 runs in 2 T20Is averaging 12.5) whereas he had a good series against Australia in between (66 runs in 3 T20Is averaging 33).

Brandon King

The toss-up for the last batters’ spot will be between Brandon King and Shamrah Brooks. Brandon King had a poor series against Australia (35 runs averaging 17.5 in 2 T20Is). He scored 53 in a T20I against New Zealand besides managing 101 runs with 1 fifty against India at an average of 33.67 in 3 T20Is.

Shamarh Brooks, who was a last-minute addition in place of Shimron Hetmyer (who missed the flight), has played only 11 T20Is. He scored a 59-ball unbeaten 56 in the 3rd T20I against New Zealand.

Jason Holder

Jason Holder, who was out of the first two ODIs against India due to Covid-19, proved his fitness during the third ODI match and has also returned to the main T20I squad against India. The pacer, who picked 5/27 in a successful T20I series against hosts England in January 2022, isn’t in the best of form of late with the ball.

With the bat too, he has been mediocre. One of the most experienced players in the squad, the allrounder adds balance to the eleven. He has picked the most 23 wickets for West Indies this year in 2022 in 16 T20Is including 2 four-wicket hauls and career-best figures of 5/27.

Odean Smith

West Indian all-rounder Odean Smith was bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 6 crores on Day 2 of the IPL 2022 mega auction. He scored 25* off 8 balls in Punjab Kings’ first IPL 2022 match against RCB. Odean Smith is a right-arm-medium-pace bowler who made his debut for the Windies against Pakistan in a bilateral T20I series in 2018.

He returned after a 3-year long absence in December 2021 against the same opponents. He picked 7 scalps recently in 3 T20Is against New Zealand averaging 13 and hit an unbeaten career-best 27 in the same series.

Sheldon Cottrell

Sheldon Cottrell, the left-arm quick, has been plagued by injuries and had missed the 2021 T20I World Cup. After the series against hosts India in February 2022 he played in a T20I against Australia in October 2022 where he picked up 2/49.

Two years ago, the 33-year-old was one of the most explosive fast bowlers in the sport and was bought by the Kings XI Punjab ahead of the Indian Premier League season. The bowler has, however, since struggled to build on that momentum and has also been plagued by recurrent injury.

Akeal Hosein

Akeal Hosein might be the sole spinner for the team in the World Cup unless Yannic Cariah is picked. The left-arm spinner picked 4 scalps in as many T20Is averaging 23. He also picked 2/28 in a T20I against Australia.

Alzarri Joseph

He has picked 5 scalps in 4 T20Is in the India series averaging 28.6. He also didn’t pick a wicket against New Zealand in a T20I but picked 5 scalps in 2 T20Is against Australia averaging a mere 7.6 at an outstanding economy of 4.75.

Yannic Cariah

Yannic Cariah is a 30-year-old leg spin-bowling allrounder who has bolted into the West Indies squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, for which they first need to qualify by playing against Scotland, Zimbabwe and Ireland in the opening round in Hobart.

Yannic Cariah made his international debut only last month, in the first ODI against New Zealand at Bridgetown, in place of left-arm finger-spinner Gudakesh Motie, who was nursing a finger fracture at the time. He has played 3 ODIs and 2 T20Is and has picked 4 scalps so far combined. He can bat a bit as he has already scored a 50 in ODIs.

Yannic Cariah is a surprise inclusion in the squad, having not bowled in any T20 game since 2016. He would be given tough competition by the likes of Obed McCoy and Raymon Reifer.