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Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter

CRICKET West Indies (CWI) has named a 15-member squad that will participate in the upcoming 2023 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifiers that will be held in Zimbabwe next month.

The Windies team will be under the captaincy of Shai Hope who will be assisted by Rovman Powell. The qualifiers are scheduled for 18 June to 9 July in Harare and Bulawayo while the World Cup is slated for October in India.

This will be the second consecutive time that the Caribbean side comes to Zimbabwe for World Cup Qualifiers having gone through the same path in 2018 for the previous edition of the global showpiece which was staged in England in 2019.

They missed out on direct qualification to the global showpiece after finishing in position nine on the One Day International (ODI) Super League standings with 88 points and will now battle it out against nine more teams for the two remaining slots for India.

“We see this as a crucial tournament as we look to secure one of the two places left in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. Therefore, we have selected a balanced team which we believe is well equipped to get the job done in the conditions we anticipate in Zimbabwe.

“It will be a challenging tournament, it will be intense and competitive, there is no doubt about that. In speaking to the players, they are fully aware of the job at hand. We are happy with the preparations and the mindset of the players, and everyone is clear about their roles in the squad,” read a statement from CWI Lead Selector, Desmond Haynes.

West Indies celebrate one of Gudakesh Motie’s wickets

The Windies have recalled allrounder Keemo Paul and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who both last played in ODIs in July last year against India in Trinidad. Motie was part of the Windies team that played two Tests against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in February and played a huge part in helping his side win the two-match series 1-0.

However, there was no place for Shimron Hetmyer in the squad.

“Paul is a three-dimensional player, who can bowl the new ball effectively, he’s dynamic in the outfield and he can also make vital runs. He is now fully recovered from injury and with his skill-set we see him as a potential match-winner for us. Motie was excellent in the Test matches in Zimbabwe earlier this year, where he took 19 wickets, and we anticipate similar conditions for the qualifiers. We believe he will again relish the chance to bowl in those conditions. He is also a capable batsman and good in the outfield,” Haynes added.

Part of their preparations for the tournament in Zimbabwe will include a three-match ODI series against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Sharjah. The matches will be played on 5, 7 and 9 June.

Players participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be given permission to return to the Caribbean for a short break before arriving in Zimbabwe for the qualification tournament. Some of the players taking part in the IPL are Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers and Nicholas Pooran among others.

West Indies squad for qualifiers:

Shai Hope (captain), Rovman Powell (vice-captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd. – Follow on Twitter @brandon_malvin