Fast bowler Joseph named in West Indies squad for T20 World Cup

BARBADOS (Agencies): Fast bowler Shamar Joseph was the surprise inclusion as joint hosts West Indies named their 15-man squad for this year’s Twenty20 World Cup. The 24-year-old Joseph, who made his test debut in January and took seven wickets in an innings to help West Indies win their first test in Australia for 27 years, has only played three T20 matches in franchise-based leagues and has not taken a wicket. Batter Shimron Hetmyer, who was dropped from the West Indies squad for the previous T20 World Cup after missing his flight to Australia, was also called up by the twice champions. “The last time I wore maroon colours was lifting up this trophy as a player. So it’s obviously inspirational,” coach Darren Sammy, who captained West Indies to two T20 World Cup titles in 2012 and 2016, told reporters on Friday. “The captain, Rovman Powell, I see a lot of myself as a leader in him as well… I think we’ve come up with the best combination to help us win the World Cup.” West Indies, hosting the tournament along with the United States, begin their group campaign against Papua New Guinea on June 2 in Guyana.

West Indies squad:

Rovman Powell (captain), Alzarri Joseph (vice captain), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Shai Hope, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford.