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West Indies announce squad for 2019 World Cup

Azlan Khan

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West Indies World Cup Squad 2019:

Jason Holder (C)
Andre Russell
Ashley Nurse
Carlos Brathwaite
Chris Gayle
Darren Bravo
Evin Lewis
Fabian Allen
Kemar Roach
Nicolas Pooran
Oshane Thomas
Shai Hope
Shannon Gabriel
Sheldon Cottrell
Shimron Hetmyer

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Talismanic opener Chris Gayle heads a powerful batting line-up that sees the return of fellow left-hander Evin Lewis, and Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel lead an exciting bowling attack in the preliminary squad of two-time champions West Indies for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 England & Wales.

Interim chairman of the Cricket West Indies selection panel Robert Haynes announced the squad during a media conference on Wednesday at the Sandals Royal Resort today here.

The 15-member squad includes nine players that will be making their first appearance in the global showpiece, including emerging batting star Shimron Hetmyer, the captain of the West Indies Under-19 side that won its first ever ICC Youth World Cup three years ago in Bangladesh, and the side is boosted with the inclusion of big-hitting all-rounder Andre Russell.

“Based on the new selection policy approach which allowed us to consider a number of players that have not regularly appeared in the side over the last two years, we had a wide base of talent from which to choose,” said Haynes.

“There were a number of tough calls we had to make to settle on our squad of 15, including ensuring there was some continuity in the side, but we believe we have chosen a strong squad of players taking into consideration such factors as experience, fitness, team balance, current form and conditions.”

“In keeping with tournament regulations, we submitted our squad prior to the deadline date of yesterday. All players named for the Tri-Nations Series could, however, stake a claim to be in the final 15-member squad that will be submitted after the Tri-Series and before the final deadline next month.”

Gayle will be making a record fifth World Cup appearance for West Indies and needs just 253 runs to overtake fellow left-hander Brian Lara and become the leading batsman for the Caribbean side in One-day Internationals. The self-proclaimed, “Universe Boss” is the headline act of a batting line-up capable of changing the complexion of any game with enterprising stroke-play.

“To have a player the calibre of Chris in the side to lead the batting with his vast experience and his ability to play match-winning or game-changing innings is a blessing for us and the motivation of becoming the leading scorer for West Indies in ODIs is something which I think he will relish,” said Haynes.

“Looking at the condition of pitches in ODIs over the last few years in England and Wales, it appears that big totals will be the order of the day, so we believe we have a line-up that can put big totals on the board or chase them, as we have seen from recent matches.

“With players like the captain, Jason Holder, as well as Andre Russell in the lower middle-order, we believe we have good depth to our batting which will allow us to play the brand of cricket that will give us the best of chance of winning the World Cup.”

Roach will be making his third World Cup appearance and Gabriel his first, and they will be hoping to transfer recent success in the longest version of the game into the ODI format to spearhead the attack.

“We are excited about the pace attack led by Kemar and Shannon, and we are confident that any bowling combination we put on the park is capable of providing a serious challenge to the opposition in any conditions,” said Haynes.

“It will be a long tournament and it will be important for the bowling attack to stay fit and healthy for us to remain competitive and make a strong push to win the World Cup.”

Haynes noted that off-spinner Sunil Narine and emerging fast bowler Alzarri Joseph were not considered, due to finger and shoulder injuries, respectively.
 
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West Indies World Cup Squad 2019:

Jason Holder (C)
Andre Russell
Ashley Nurse
Carlos Brathwaite
Chris Gayle
Darren Bravo
Evin Lewis
Fabian Allen
Kemar Roach
Nicolas Pooran
Oshane Thomas
Shai Hope
Shannon Gabriel
Sheldon Cottrell
Shimron Hetmyer

1.Evin Lewis
2.Chris Gayle
3.Shai Hope
4.Darren Bravo
5.Shimron Hetmyer
6.Nicholas Pooran
7.Andre Russell
8.Jason Holder
9.Ashley Nurse
10.Oshane Thomas
11.Kemar Roach
 
Excellent squad. Only missing a specialist spinner but Nurse can keep things tight. Narine isn't doing great in the IPL,Pollard is a specialist batter now. Don't think he is good enough to bat in the top 5 in English conditions.

Overall a very good squad, on flat pitches they could take some teams bowling line ups apart.
 
Where's Narine ? Nurse can't even contain yet the new selection panel still persist with him.
 
Strong Squad, with 2 big omissions being Narine and Pollard.

My XI:

1) Chris Gayle
2) Evin Lewis
3) Shai Hope(Wk)
4) Darren Bravo
5) Shimron Hetmyer
6) Andre Russell
7) Carlos Brathwaithe
8) Jason Holder(C)
9) Ashely Nurse
10) Kemar Roach
11) Sheldon Cotrell
 
great squad except selection of Ashley nurse. Narine should have been there instead of nurse. Also There is no leg spinner in the squad which is strange.
 
Surprised that they are going with only one specialist spinner in Nurse and a part timer in Allen to support him while they have around 7 pacers in the squad including Russel and Brathwaite.
 
They will have a deep batting with really strong hitters, if two three of them click , they will thrash any opposition.
 
Wow that is strong team in which 2-3 hitters if they have a good day, 300 score is normal.
Just feel WI is gonna upset some strong teams in Wc2019.
 
Possible best squad with two changes - may be could have taken Narine for Nurse, but probably not sure with his effectiveness as bowler in ICC events with proper action. And this Brathwaite guy is still living on his 4 sixes, should have gone for a proper batsman. Good to see no Samuels & Kemu Paul.

1. Chris Gayle
2. Evin Lewis
3. Shai Hope
4. Darren Bravo
5. Shimron Hetmyer
6. Nicolas Pooran
7. Andre Russell
8. Jason Holder (C)
9. Ashley Nurse
10. Kemar Roach
11. Sheldon Cottrell/Oshane Thomas

Top order is a bit too leftish, otherwise very good team to have a realistic shot at SF.
 
Possible best squad with two changes - may be could have taken Narine for Nurse, but probably not sure with his effectiveness as bowler in ICC events with proper action. And this Brathwaite guy is still living on his 4 sixes, should have gone for a proper batsman. Good to see no Samuels & Kemu Paul.

1. Chris Gayle
2. Evin Lewis
3. Shai Hope
4. Darren Bravo
5. Shimron Hetmyer
6. Nicolas Pooran
7. Andre Russell
8. Jason Holder (C)
9. Ashley Nurse
10. Kemar Roach
11. Sheldon Cottrell/Oshane Thomas

Top order is a bit too leftish, otherwise very good team to have a realistic shot at SF.

Don't think Andre Russel is fit enough to bowl 10 overs for them. He will play at 6 and allen at 7
 
It's going to be a hard match for pak on the 31st. Bowlers will really need to bowl well.
 
Brathwaite has been rubbish. They need another batter. Very few pure batters in that squad. Only evin and hetmyer . Even hope is a wk/batsman. Nurse is actually the best they have unless they went for bishoo. Narine is useless without chucking.
 
Shai Hope bats at 3/4 in Test Cricket and doesn't play as a keeper. He's a Batsman.
 
I hope Windies play their most explosive team against Pakistan.

It will prove that Pakistan has the best bowling-unit if they will contain it.
 
No Pollard, Narine and Dwayne Bravo.

The above 3 would have made them Favs to win it all. The likes of Darren Bravo will only make the squad weak.
 
Don't think Andre Russel is fit enough to bowl 10 overs for them. He will play at 6 and allen at 7

Allen isn't that good either with bat or ball - he is probably a backup of Brathwaite. Gayle, has to share few overs with Russell. They can drop Pooran and keep with Hope, but that puts extra load on Hope and makes tail too long.
 
Don't think Andre Russel is fit enough to bowl 10 overs for them. He will play at 6 and allen at 7
He may not bowl 10 overs but if he lasts 10 overs while batting then its problems for opponents
 
No Pollard, Narine and Dwayne Bravo.

The above 3 would have made them Favs to win it all. The likes of Darren Bravo will only make the squad weak.

Dwayne has retired from International Cricket.
 
Pretty good squad, although having Pollard instead of Allen or Thomas would have strengthened it further considering the form Pollard is in.
A bowling attack of Roach, Gabriel, Cottrell,Holder, Russell and Nurse looks amazing on paper. But I think they will pick one of Gabriel or Cottrell leading to Russell having to bowl out his full quota which might be a bit risky considering his injury history.
 
World Cup: West Indies name Andre Russell in squad

The 30-year-old, a Twenty20 specialist in recent years, is included but all-rounder Marlon Samuels misses out.

Opener Chris Gayle, West Indies' second highest ODI run-scorer, also features, having said he will retire from the 50-over format after the World Cup.

The tournament in England and Wales runs from 30 May to 14 July.

Russell, who completed a one-year anti-doping whereabouts ban in January 2018, played an ODI against Bangladesh in July last year but a knee injury has limited his appearances since then - although he is currently starring in the Indian Premier League.

The Doosra podcast: Candid Russell discusses one-year ban
Pace bowler Shannon Gabriel, who played the most recent of his 18 ODIs in 2016, has also been recalled.

All-rounder Fabian Allen was preferred to spinners Devendra Bishoo and Sunil Narine.

Teams can make changes to their squads before 23 May - but can only alter them after that in the event of injuries, with any changes needing to be approved by the International Cricket Council.

West Indies play Ireland and Bangladesh in a triangular one-day series from 5-13 May, before starting their World Cup campaign against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on 31 May.

Six players - Sunil Ambris, John Campbell, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich and Raymon Reifer - are in the tri-series squad but have not made the cut for the World Cup.

West Indies World Cup squad: Jason Holder (capt), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/48045326
 
I am surprised Russell is only 30.

Seems to be around for eternity and he looks a lot older as well.
 
Pollar's exclusion is a surprise, looks there is still some bad blood between WICB and some players. Any team would love to have him, explosive but sensible batting, 3-5 useful overs and an awesome fielder.
 
These are 15 match winners. I wouldn't be surprised if they make it to the final 4. It'll be a shame if they don't.
 
the team is full of hitters, but this aint t20 league level. gayle and hope are the only proven odi batsmen, even bravo's record is poor.

also nurse and allen will only come in to the game if the pitches support spin massively, in which case wi batting line up will be toast.

best chance for wi is to get a pace bowler friendly track and let roach, gabriel, thomas, holder loose.
 
Brathwaite has been rubbish. They need another batter. Very few pure batters in that squad. Only evin and hetmyer . Even hope is a wk/batsman. Nurse is actually the best they have unless they went for bishoo. Narine is useless without chucking.
Hope is a pure batsman who can keep.
 
the fast bowling lineup is very strong, considering the CWC is in England.... Alzarri Joseph would have made more stronger but he is dropped due to shoulder injury which he got in IPL.

Bowling lineup of

Kemar Roach
Cottrell
Oshane
Jason Holder
Gabriel

Recently the fast bowling unit ripped through the tourney favourites Eng and the series was drawn 2-2 with some excellent bowling performances from Cottrell and Oshane
 
Slightly imbalanced but that has more to do with available resources than anything else (apart from their unwillingness to pick Narine). On their day this team can blow away any opposition. Hope and Bravo will have a key role in this team given how unpredictable the other batsmen are but if any 2 of those hitters click on a given day they can easily demolish any bowling lineup. Their main weakness will be their fifth bowler as neither Russell nor Brathwaite can be expected to bowl their full 10 and gayle isn't the bowler he used to be. The only way to fix that would be to play nurse in place of pooran and have Hope keep wickets. Given Holder's good batting form and Nurse's ability with the bat, i think that might well be the route they take. Likely starting eleven would be

Gayle
Lewis
Hope
Bravo
Hetmyer
Holder
Russell
Pooran/Nurse
Gabriel
Roach
Cottrell
 
Good squad. They have surprised me in the last year or so by turning their cricket around. I haven't seen much of their spinners but their quick bowling is strong.

A bowling allrounder in Holder + a power hitting allrounder in Russell gives them nice balance. Some experienced batting in Gayle & Bravo, some talented young bats in Hope & Hetmeyer.

No way they could pick Narine- he hasn't even played for WI for over 2 years & he'll be called for throwing again as soon as he steps onto an international field & not a t20 domestic.

Pollard has underachieved for them & again not played ODI for WI for over 2 years. He can't expect to waltz back into the team when his own performances were sub par (what is the point of him, batting stats significantly worse than Afridi & not even close to in the same league as a bowler/arrounder) & they have 2 superior allrounders available + a young spinning allrounder for balance.

I still wouldn't bet if they make semi's though- NZ, Oz, Eng, India all look stronger to me with SA also lurking with a similar squad- good quicks, probably a quality bat or two short but SA also have a superior spin attack. The only reason I don't rule them out entirely is the chance of a Gayle swan song & the ever improving captaincy of Jason Holder.
 
People thought they would select Dwayne Bravo like seriously :))

This is pretty much the strongest squad they could have picked with what they had available to them.

Narine was clearly not going to make it as he prefers T20 over 50 overs cricket and has not played it for years, can't bowl much more than 4 overs as it is.
 
Pollard not being named can be debatable as he has been playing List A cricket in the WI too and with his recent heroics in the IPL, he could feel a bit unlucky to have missed out.
 
Just to put it out there: Narine wasn't considered due to an injury on his finger. He struggles to bowl 4 overs in T20. He has said he was asked by the selectors but told them not to consider him as he needs a surgery on his finger after the IPL.
 
They should have picked Pollard instead of Carlos Brathwaite.

Looks a decent squad though however the spin department looks like the weak point.
 
They should have picked Pollard instead of Carlos Brathwaite.

Looks a decent squad though however the spin department looks like the weak point.

Pollard doesn't bowl anymore apparently, hence the reason for his exclusion
 
Man that’s a quality squad. If they peak at the right moment they can break into the semis. Other than India, WI is the other team that doesn’t bottle under knockout circumstances.

Will be an epic WC as I’ve been saying. Other than England there’s no team that you can say with 100% confidence will dominate, even England has bowling issues. Other teams are flawed too to some degree.

Last time we just saw Aus and NZ blow everyone out of the water.
 
No Pollard, Narine and Dwayne Bravo.

The above 3 would have made them Favs to win it all. The likes of Darren Bravo will only make the squad weak.


You’re naming past it, over the hill guys. Watch some recent WI games they’ve improved without those dead loads.

This isn’t PCB where respected seniors are given special treatment
 
Man that’s a quality squad. If they peak at the right moment they can break into the semis. Other than India, WI is the other team that doesn’t bottle under knockout circumstances.

Will be an epic WC as I’ve been saying. Other than England there’s no team that you can say with 100% confidence will dominate, even England has bowling issues. Other teams are flawed too to some degree.

Last time we just saw Aus and NZ blow everyone out of the water.

When was the last time WI won a 50 overs ICC KO tournament match?

They will struggle to compete for 100 overs.
 
Why are people calling for Pollard to be selected? Go look up his ODI record and you'd know why he wasn't selected.
 
'Bowling will win it for us' – West Indies coach Reifer confident for World Cup

When West Indies last won the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in 1979, they did it with a 92-run victory over hosts England in the tournament final at Lord's. While Viv Richards was adjudged Player of the Match for his masterful 138*, there were a few unsung heroes for the champions as well.

The game saw 14 single-digit scores – including nine ducks – with seven of them (five ducks) on the England scoresheet. The revered Windies bowling attack ripped through the hosts' middle order, propelling their side to a second straight World Cup triumph. Joel Garner, the right-arm pacer, claimed five wickets.

While the seam-friendly pitches in England have changed over the years and turned conducive to batting, Floyd Reifer, the West Indies head coach, believes that it will still be the bowlers who take his side to victory at the 2019 World Cup. "Looking at the pitches in England in the county circuit, they are very high-scoring," he said on Friday, 26 April.

"But I still think that the team that bowls and fields the best will win the World Cup. The batters are expected to score runs, but I think bowling is going to win it for us."

Reifer also added that in the training camp ahead of the Ireland tri-series, West Indies have tried to add to their bowling arsenal. "We did a lot of specifics. We worked on bowling plans, we did a lot of stuff on death bowling. All in all, the energy levels are very high," he said.

"It is a really good team. There is a blend of experience and youth. At the World Cup, we have the X factor. The camaraderie is there."

Two batsmen expected to go big for the side are veterans Chris Gayle and Andre Russell. Both players have been in splendid form recently in the Indian Premier League. Russell, especially, is coming off an exceptional stint in the tournament, where he smashed 406 runs at 58 with an outrageous strike rate of 209.27.

"Gayle and Russell, they're hardened professionals. They are going to blend right into the team and are getting ready to win the World Cup," said Reifer.

Fabien Allen, one of two spin bowlers in the Windies squad, believes the inclusion of the duo will enable younger players like himself to learn and grow. "Those guys are tough players. 'Universe Boss' (Gayle) is always motivating me," he said. "They are good players, you just have to stick around and learn as much as you can with them."

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1199582
 
DUBLIN, Ireland – Shai Hope and Chris Gayle have been named as the vice captains of West Indies team for the Ireland Tri-Nation Series and ICC Cricket World Cup, respectively.

Hope, the 25-year-old wicket-keeper/batsman was named as the deputy to Jason Holder for the ODI Series which started on Sunday and runs until May 18. He played his 50th match for West Indies on Sunday and has so far scored 1,947 runs (average 48.67) including five centuries.

Gayle, the hugely experienced 39-year-old opener and former captain, will be Holder’s deputy for the ICC Cricket World Cup to be played in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14. He has played 289 matches with 10,151 runs (average 38.16) including 25 centuries and 51 half centuries. His career-best is 215 against Zimbabwe during the ICC World Cup four years ago – the highest score by a West Indian in this format.

“It’s a tremendous honour to be appointed vice captain for this series here in Ireland. Ahead of this tournament I was asked to take on this role and I was happy to accept. Anything I’m asked to do for West Indies cricket I’m always happy and willing to put my hand up, so this is great,” Hope said.

Gayle said: “It is always an honour to represent the West Indies in any format and this World Cup for me is special. As a senior player it is my responsibility to support the captain and everyone else in the team. This will probably be the biggest World Cup, so there will be great expectations and I know we will do very well for the people of the West Indies.”

The West Indies started the Tri-Nation Series on Sunday when they defeated Ireland by 196 runs at the picturesque Clontarf Ground. Hope made a career-best 170 and added a record opening stand of 365 with John Campbell – who scored 179 – his maiden international century.
 
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – West Indies will continue their preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 with a training camp in Southampton, England from May 19 to 23. The four-day camp, involving the entire 15-member squad for the marquee tournament, will include an additional warm-up fixture against Australia, which will be played on May 22 at the Ageas Bowl, the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club.

The original West Indies schedule was based in Bristol from May 23, with two official ICC Cricket World Cup warm-up matches on May 26 against South Africa and on May 28 versus New Zealand. The West Indies opening ICC Cricket World Cup match is against Pakistan May 31 at Trent Bridge.

Batsman Sunil Ambris, and allrounder Raymon Reifer have been called up as cover for the camp in Southampton. They were part of the just-concluded Tri-Nation ODI Series in Ireland. Ambris is available as cover for Evin Lewis, who has recently recovered from a viral illness and Reifer will cover for the bowling group as part of work load management.

According to the CEO Johnny Grave, the idea behind the training camp and playing an extra warm-up game is to give the World Cup squad more preparation time in English conditions and game time together, especially as seven members of the squad missed the Tri-Series in Ireland due to the IPL.

Grave said: “We are very grateful to Hampshire CCC for agreeing to host us at the Ageas Bowl and to Cricket Australia for agreeing the additional warm-up game. Due to the commitments and promises made, to both our players and the BCCI, this is the first time that our entire World Cup squad can get together since the IPL finished. We are confident that these additional five days of training and the extra warm-up game will mean that our players will be ready to perform at their best in our opening match against Pakistan on the 31st May.”

Addressing the reserve players, the Interim Chairman of Selectors, Robert Haynes commented: “The choice of players in the reserve list is to really cover our bases and ensure we have a good balance in the pool of players that can be selected if replacements are required. We think the skill set in this pool is strong with a good blend of experience and upcoming young players who can be ready to contribute if and when required.”



ICC Cricket World Cup Squad

Jason Holder (Captain)

Chris Gayle (Captain)

Kemar Roach

Darren Bravo

Andre Russell

Shai Hope

Sheldon Cottrell

Evin Lewis

Shannon Gabriel

Carlos Brathwaite

Ashley Nurse

Shimron Hetmyer

Fabian Allen

Oshane Thomas

Nicholas Pooran



Reserves for ICC Cricket World Cup
Sunil Ambris
Dwayne Bravo
John Campbell
Jonathan Carter
Roston Chase
Shane Dowrich
Keemo Paul
Khary Pierre
Raymon Reifer
Kieron Pollard



Pre World Cup Camp Schedule

All matches start at 10:30am (5:30 am East Caribbean/4:30am Jamaica) except where indicated

Saturday, May 18: Travel to Southampton

Sunday, May 19: training at Ageas Bowl – 1pm

Monday, May 20: training at Ageas Bowl – 10am

Tuesday, May 21: training at Ageas Bowl – 1pm

Wednesday, May 22: vs Australia – Southampton



World Cup Schedule

Warm-up

May 26: vs South Africa – Bristol

May 28: vs New Zealand – Bristol

Preliminary Round

May 31: vs Pakistan – Nottingham

Jun 6: vs Australia – Nottingham

Jun 10: vs South Africa – Southampton

Jun 14: vs England – Southampton

Jun 17: vs Bangladesh – Taunton

Jun 22: vs New Zealand – Manchester (8:30 am EC Time)

Jun 27: vs India – Manchester

Jul 1: vs Sri Lanka – Chester-le-Street

Jul 4: vs Afghanistan – Leeds

Semi-Finals

Jul 9: 1st vs 4th – Manchester

Jul 10: Reserve Day

Jul 11: 2nd vs 3rd – Birmingham

Jul 12: Reserve Day



The Final

Jul 14: Semi-final Winner 1 vs Semi-final Winner 2 – Lord’s

Jul 15: Reserve Day
 
Interesting and surprising to see Dwayne Bravo in the reserves!
 
They should kick out that Brathwhite and Fabian ALlen include Bravo and Pollard. Both match winners and excellent fielders. Even Keemo paul is better.
 
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