West Indies have recalled left-hand opening batsman John Campbell and all-rounders Roston Chase and Keemo Paul for the upcoming three-match ODI series against India. Chris Gayle, who was set to retire after the World Cup but changed his mind later, has also been named in the 14-man squad.
Sunil Ambris, Darren Bravo, Shannon Gabriel and Ashley Nurse have all been left out. Andre Russell, who was ruled out of the World Cup midway, is also not in the squad.
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The series might see Gayle notch up an all-time record for West Indies. He’s now on 10,338 runs, only 11 short of Brian Lara’s tally for the highest aggregate in ODIs for West Indies.
“Chris is a very valuable player and he brings a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge, he lends a lot to any dressing room and it is great to have him in the squad,” said interim West Indies head coach Floyd Reifer.
Campbell, Chase and Paul were all part of the tri-series in Ireland that took place before the World Cup but were left out for the marquee event in England and Wales. Reifer said that the trio has been included to add balance to the side that already has its fair share of experienced players.
“We have a mixture of some experienced and young ODI players,” said Reifer. “It is good to have Keemo, John and Roston back, and they will help to bring further balance to the team. Looking ahead to the series, I think we have a lot to build upon following the World Cup. We have retained a large number of players from the World Cup squad, so there is a lot to build on and I am looking forward to the series.
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“We have to start planning now for the World Cup in 2023 and we are looking for a solid squad that we can work with over the next four years. We want to build them into a consistent winning team in this format, so that they have a real chance of success in 4-years’ time. We had a number of young players in the last World Cup squad.
“We played some decent cricket. We were in match-winning positions, but we just didn’t win the key moments or finish off the games. The players have learnt a lot from the World Cup, and we are looking to improve their skills, their mindsets and playing together as a team. The more they can play together, the better it will be for them.”
The first ODI between the sides will be played in Guyana on August 8, a day after the conclusion of the three-match T20I series.
Full Squad: Jason Holder (c), John Campbell, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Roston Chase, Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, Keemo Paul, Chris Gayle, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas, Shai Hope, Kemar Roach
