T20 World Cup: West Indies announces squad; Evin Lewis returns to team

Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Wednesday announced the squad for the upcoming International Cricket Council's (ICC) Men's T20 World Cup, which will take place from October to November this year.

The panel confirmed 15 players who will represent the West Indies for the 8th ICC T20 World Cup, which will be played in Australia from October 16 to November 13.

The West Indies are the only team to have won the cup twice: once in Sri Lanka in 2012, and again in India in 2016. The West Indies' campaign to win an unprecedented third ICC Men's T20 World Cup title starts on October 17, when they take on Scotland in the first of three Group B fixtures played at the Bellerive Oval, in Hobart, Tasmania to qualify for the Super 12 phase of the tournament.

Nicholas Pooran leads the West Indies in his first World Cup as captain, with Rovman Powell as vice-captain. Left-hand opening batter Evin Lewis has been recalled for the first time since the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup.

Two uncapped players have also been selected; right-arm leg-spinner allrounder Yannic Cariah and left-arm batting allrounder Raymon Reifer.

Dr Desmond Haynes, CWI's Lead Selector said in a statement: "We have selected a mixture of youth and experience to represent the West Indies. In the selection process, we have been cognisant of the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and we have been looking at the players who have been playing very well.

I said at the beginning of my tenure that I would be interested in giving players the opportunity and I think I have been consistent in doing that. I believe it is a very good team we have selected, and it is a team that will compete, given that we have to qualify from Round 1 into the Super 12s."

"There are players who did not make the team and I hope they will continue to work hard and perform their best in the CPL and the upcoming Super50 Cup. You never know what can happen in case of injuries or any other unforeseen situations where we might need to call up players as replacements," he added.

West Indies will face Zimbabwe on October 19 and then Ireland on October 21, with the top two teams from Group B joining the Super 12s, along with the top two teams from Group A, which features Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Namibia.

The top two teams from each Super 12 group will then advance to the semi-finals on November 9 and 10.

Prior to the start of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, the West Indies will meet home team Australia in a two-match bilateral T20 International (T20I) series on October 5 at the Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast, and then on October 7 at the historical Gabba, in Brisbane.

The T20 World Cup squad is:

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