Shai Hope is set to lead the West Indies, the two-time T20 World Cup champions, in the tournament next month. The squad also welcomes newcomer Quentin Sampson and fast bowler Shamar Joseph. Notable returns include former captain Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, and Rovman Powell, all of whom missed the recent three-match series against Afghanistan, which the West Indies lost 1-2 due to T20 commitments. Hope was absent from the Afghanistan series as he participated in the recently completed SA20 league. An impressive 11 players from the last T20 World Cup, held in the Americas, have been retained for this year’s competition, which features 20 teams and kicks off on February 7. The West Indies have previously secured the T20 World Cup title in 2012 and 2016 under Daren Sammy, who now serves as their head coach. In Group C, they will face off against former champions England, debutants Italy, Nepal, and Scotland, who replaced Bangladesh following their withdrawal from the tournament in India. As part of their preparations, the West Indies will play an away series against South Africa from January 27-31. Their first match in the T20 World Cup will be against Scotland in Kolkata on February 7. The squad comprises: Shai Hope (c & wk), Johnson Charles (wk), Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hossein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, and Romario Shepherd.
