Alzarri Joseph back from suspension as Andre Russell ruled out

BARBADOS (Agencies): Alzarri Joseph has returned from suspension to rejoin the West Indies squad for the final three matches of their T20I series against England, but star allrounder Andre Russell has been ruled out of the series with a left ankle sprain. The pair are part of two changes to the hosts, who are 2-0 down heading into the final leg of the series in St Lucia. Joseph will replace his replacement Shamar Joseph, with seam bowling allrounder Shamar Springer coming in for Russell. West Indies need to win in the third T20I on Thursday to keep the series alive. Alzarri was handed a two-match ban by Cricket West Indies after leaving the field without permission during the third ODI against England, leaving West Indies a man short in the field. Having apologised publicly for the incident, and privately to one-day captain Shai Hope, his return was expected and necessary given the scoreline.

Rovman Powell has struggled to keep a lid on Jos Buttler’s charges, who have chased down targets of 159 and 183 with ease, losing just five wickets across both fixtures in Barbados. Though West Indies have fallen foul of the toss on both occasions, there has been a distinct lack of cutting edge with the ball. The inclusion of Springer also gives Powell options to work with, having yet to strike the right balance with the make-up of his bowlers. Springer made his T20I debut against Sri Lanka last month, taking 1 for 25 and 1 for 24 in his two caps so far. The loss of Russell during the first T20I was put into context by the performance of Terrance Hinds in the second. The 32-year-old suffered an ignominious debut on Sunday, scoring five at No.11 and seeing his two overs concede 24 runs without a dismissal.

West Indies T20I squad:

Rovman Powell (capt), Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Terrance Hinds, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer.