India vs WI ODIs: Kieron Pollard to lead 15-man squad, Kemar Roach recalled

Kemar Roach, the experienced fast bowler; Nkrumah Bonner, the middle-order batsman, and Brandon King, the opening batman, have been recalled to the squad for the three-match ODI series against India.

West Indies pacer Kemar Roach. (Source: Twitter)

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel on Wednesday (January 26) announced the senior men’s squad for the upcoming three-match One-Day International (ODI) Series against India. The West Indies will visit the sub-continent from February 6 to 20, where they will also play three T20 Internationals (T20Is).

The ODIs will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 6, 9 and 11. These matches form part of the ICC ODI Super League and the West Indies will have the opportunity to win points to be one of the top seven teams, excluding hosts India, to gain automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC 50-over World Cup.

West Indies will visit the sub-continent from February 6 to 20. #INDvWI

Full Squad detailshttps://t.co/Ps9YL2bZey — Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) January 26, 2022

The T20Is will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 16, 18 and 20, with the squad expected to be announced on Friday (January 28). Kemar Roach, the experienced fast bowler; Nkrumah Bonner, the middle-order batsman, and Brandon King, the opening batman, have been recalled to the squad.

Roach has so far played 92 ODIs with 124 wickets. Bonner made his ODI debut in Bangladesh a year ago and has so far played three matches, while King has so far played four matches in this format.

Lead selector Desmond Haynes, said: “Kemar Roach is one of our leading fast bowlers and we believe we need bowlers upfront to get early wicket, and Kemar, with an economy rate of five, is certainly good enough to play. Over the last few years, Nkrumah Bonner’s cricket has come on leaps and bounds and we believe he should be given an opportunity to play in the 50-over format.”

“We want to have competition for places. We want to reach a stage where we have a lot of players fighting for positions. We want to broaden the pool of players we have to choose from. The team we have selected is a very good side and we are looking at this tour as part of the preparations for the World Cup in India in 2023,” Haynes added.

SQUAD:

Kieron Pollard (Captain), Fabian Allen, Nkrumah Bonner, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr.

ODI Match Schedule:

February 6: 1st ODI at Ahmedabad

February 9: 2nd ODI at Ahmedabad

February 11: 3rd ODI at Ahmedabad