Windies Select Jamaican Quartet For India T20I Series
Caribbean side seeking revenge for devastating ODI and Test series home defeats
Jamaica has four players — Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Odeon Smith and Oshane Thomas — named in the West Indies provisional squad of 15 for the five-match T20I series against India that starts on Thursday.
The omens aren’t good as the Windies remain in freefall. After recently failing to qualify for the ICC World Cup for the very first time, the Caribbean side have since been ineffective and poor. They were outplayed in the two-Test series by India, and annihilated in the deciding 3rd ODI match by the tenacious tourists.
Powell has been the demanding yet vital role as skipper for the T20I series, having been vice captain in the ODI 2-1 defeat. He will be hoping for explosive innings from hard-hitting top order batsman King, while relying on the bowling prowess of all-rounder Smith.
Paceman Thomas has been recalled to this format, having last played against Pakistan two years ago, after impressing in the ODI series.
Wicket-keeper/batsman Shai Hope, fresh from playing captain in the ODI series, is back for the first time at T20I since facing India last year.
All 15 members of the provisional squad will travel, with two players used as reserves for each match squad.
The T20I series against India starts on 3 August at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad & Tobago. The 2nd T20I and 3rd T20I will be hosted by the Guyana National Stadium in Georgetown on 6 August and 8 August respectively.
The series moves to the United States for the final two contests. The Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida will be the venue for the 4th T20I and 5th T20I on 12 August and 13 August respectively.
This T20I series is an opportunity for the Windies to focus on the future and avoid any further one-sided encounters against India.
After being outplayed in the Test series, badly beaten within three days in the opening match and only saved from another humiliation by rain in the 2nd Test, the ODI was meant to be a chance to put things right.
Yet they were torn apart in the 1st ODI at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Whittled out for a pitiful 114, the tourists stuttered at times before registering a comfortable five-wicket win.
Just 48 hours later the Windies turned the tables, and reeled off a six-wicket success in the 2nd ODI at the same venue.
India looked to be in command, only for Gudakesh Motie to end the opening wicket partnership at 90 in the 17th over. The slow left-armer added two more victims to his tally, with fast-medium pacer Romario Shepherd also bagging a three-wicket haul as the tourists tumbled to 181.
In response Hope (63no) and Keacy Carty (48no) steered the side to an impressive triumph, after the Windies had appeared to be in trouble at 91-4 in the 17th over.
The decisive T20I proved to be a disappointment for Caribbean fans, following an insipid display with both bat and ball, to suffer a humiliating 200-run defeat inside the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
India produced fireworks at the crease to drum up a remarkable 351-5. The opening wicket partnership came to a halt after Ishan Kishan was stumped by Hope off spinner Yannic Cariah, with the score already 143 in the 20th over.
Openers King and Kyle Mayers were back in the pavilion with the Caribbean side in trouble at 7-2 in the third over. It went from bad to worse as wickets were rapidly tumbling and the Windies in a sad state of affairs at 88-8, with a solid knock of 32 from Alick Athanaze holding the innings together.
Only a resilient showing from tailenders Alzarri Joseph (26) and Motie (39no) spared an even more embarrassing defeat as the Windies were dismissed for a lowly 151.
India have turned on the style against hapless opposition in both Test and ODI contests, so whether the hosts can stop the rot in the T20I remains to be seen. Another set of hefty defeats and the Windies will be globally seen as easy prey in all formats.
T20I PROVISIONAL SQUAD | Rovman Powell (captain), Kyle Mayers (vice captain), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Oshane Thomas.
T20I SERIES | WI v INDIA
3 August | 1st T20I (Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, Trinidad & Tobago)
6 August | 2nd T20I (Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown, Guyana)
8 August | 3rd T20I (Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown, Guyana)
12 August | 4th T20I (Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida, USA)
13 August | 5th T20I (Broward County Stadium, Lauderhill, Florida, USA)
ODI SERIES | INDIA WON 2-1
1st ODI (Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados) | India won by five wickets
WI | 114 all out (23.0 overs)
India | 118-5 (22.5 overs)
2nd ODI (Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados) | Windies won by six wickets
India | 181 all out (40.5 overs)
WI | 182-4 (36.4 overs)
3rd ODI (Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, Trinidad & Tobago) | India won by 200 runs
India | 351-5 (50 overs)
WI | 151 all out (35.3 overs)
TEST SERIES | INDIA WON 1-0
1st Test (Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica) | India won by an innings and 141 runs
WI | 150 all out (64.3 overs) & 130 all out (50.3 overs)
India | 421-5 dec (152.2 overs)
2nd Test (Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago)| Match drawn
India | 438 all out (128 overs) & 181-2 (24 overs)
WI | 255 all out (115.4 overs) & 76-2 (32 overs)
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