T20 World Cup: Shai Hope named West Indies captain, Evin Lewis ignored
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): West Indies on Monday announced its 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, appointing Shai Hope as captain while leaving out opening batter Evin Lewis. The tournament will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 7 February.
Left-handed opener Evin Lewis was dropped after a disappointing performance against Afghanistan. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has also been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
The squad includes 11 players from the team that featured in the 2024 home World Cup. This T20 World Cup squad will also take part in the upcoming T20 series against South Africa, scheduled from 27 to 31 January.
Two-time champions West Indies have been placed in Group C along with Scotland, England, Nepal, and Italy. The Caribbean side will begin its campaign against Scotland on 7 February at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, followed by matches against England on 11 February, Nepal on 15 February, and Italy on 19 February.
Top-order batters Johnson Charles, Shimron Hetmyer, and Brandon King remain the main batting options carried over from the UAE series. The fast-bowling unit has seen minimal changes.
Explosive batter Quinton Sampson has been included in the World Cup squad based on his performance in the Caribbean Premier League 2025, where he scored 241 runs in nine innings for Guyana Amazon Warriors. However, he managed only 35 runs in three T20 matches against Afghanistan.
All-rounders Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein, and Sherfane Rutherford return to the squad after missing the Afghanistan series. Former captain Jason Holder and Rovman Powell have also been recalled, along with Romario Shepherd.
Fast bowler Shamar Joseph has made a comeback despite missing the Test tour of India and the ODI series against Bangladesh due to injuries. He will lead the pace attack alongside Holder, Matthew Forde, and Jayden Seales, while Hosein, Chase, and Gudakesh Motie will handle the spin department.
West Indies Squad:
Shai Hope (Captain), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quinton Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.