Shannon Gabriel has been added to the West Indies squad for their next three-match series in South Africa, which might be his first ODI since the 2019 World Cup.
In the second Test match between West Indies and Zimbabwe last week in Bulawayo, Gabriel made his return to the international stage.
Because of his performance for Trinidad and Tobago in the Regional Super50 Cup in November, Gabriel has been chosen to take early wickets in place of the injured Anderson Phillip and Jayden Seales.
Lead selector for the West Indies, Desmond Haynes, said:
“We have had some injuries to our fast-bowling pool, so therefore we see Gabriel as an ideal fit heading into South Africa, and the surfaces we expect to play on.
“It is felt that we need someone to get those early wickets and he is the kind of bowler that can do that. Judging from his performances in the CG United Super50 Cup, he is potentially a wicket-taking option up front.”
Roston Chase, who last played an ODI against Ireland in January of last year, also returns to the white-ball squad. West Indies will play its first three-match ODI series in the format since August 2022 during the three-match set, which takes place from March 16–21 and is not a World Cup Super League match.
The West Indies will play their first series following Shai Hope’s permanent selection as their ODI captain last week. Their new T20I captain, Rovman Powell, has been selected as Hope’s backup.
During the three-match T20I series in South Africa that comes after the ODIs, West Indies stayed with the majority of the team that was eliminated from the T20 World Cup last year before the Super 12 stage.
After being eliminated in the first round of the T20 World Cup after losses to Scotland and Ireland, CWI ordered an investigation of West Indies’ T20 World Cup performances.
West Indies have a “great opportunity to hit the reset button” before the 2024 edition on home soil, according to a three-person panel made up of Brian Lara, Mickey Arthur, and high-court judge Patrick Thompson Jr.
However, they only made one adjustment to the World Cup roster: Romario Shepherd, a seam-bowling all-arounder, took Evin Lewis’ position.
“For the T20Is, we have an experienced squad,”
Haynes said.
“What we are looking for is to form a cohesive unit and look at the players who we believe can form the nucleus as we build towards doing very well and challenging when we host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June 2024.”
The all-rounder Kyle Mayers has been selected as Powell’s vice-captain. Obed McCoy has been chosen, however his participation in the T20Is is dependent on receiving medical clearance.
In preparation for the two-match Test series against South Africa, which begins at Centurion on February 28, West Indies will face Dewald Brevis.
Brevis has been selected for the South African Invitational XI squad for an unofficial three-day warm-up match in Benoni that begins on Tuesday despite never having played a first-class match. Brevis has long been identified as a future all-format international.
“The squad is made up of a mix of provincial players that were made available by their respective provincial teams,”
CSA said in a statement.