Kieron Pollard returns as West Indies name squads for white-ball series against Ireland and England

On Friday, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced the white-ball squads of West Indies for the upcoming series against Ireland and England.

West Indies will host Ireland for the three-match ODI series and a one-off T20I in Jamaica before travelling to Barbados to face England in the five-match T20I leg.

Windies skipper Kieron Pollard has returned to the white-ball outfit after missing the tour of Pakistan due to his hamstring injury. Star all-rounder Jason Holder is back in both the ODI and T20I squads, while Fabian Allen has also been declared fit to take part in the T20Is against England.

“We have tried to maintain the general make-up of the squads from the Pakistan Tour before Christmas, with the captain and some senior players coming back in. COVID-19 has also played a part in the final make-up of the squad. The challenges in the next couple of months are getting the young players in both squads to not only improve on their skills but maintain the attitude and desire we saw in Pakistan,” said head coach Phil Simmons as quoted by ICC.

“We do need to start the year on a high. And we know both Ireland and England have very good teams, so we expect a very strong challenge as we look to improve our chances of automatic qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2023 and to build the T20 team for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2022,” he added.

Here are the squads:

ODI squad against Ireland:

Kieron Pollard (captain), Shai Hope (vice-captain), Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Jayden Seales, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Devon Thomas.

COVID-19 Reserves: Keacy Carty, Sheldon Cottrell.

T20I squad against Ireland and England:

Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran (vice-captain), Fabian Allen (England T20I only), Darren Bravo (England T20Is only), Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Shai Hope, Akel Hosein, Jason Holder, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr.

COVID-19 Reserves: Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, Devon Thomas.