ST JOHN’S – The CWI Interim Selection Panel has named veteran opener Chris Gayle in the West Indies squad for the MyTeam11 Series against India.
Left-handed opener John Campbell, fellow batsman Roston Chase and all-rounder Keemo Paul have all been recalled to the 14-member squad for the three-match series which will be contested on August 8 at the Guyana National Stadium, and on August 11 and 14 at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad.
Gayle said prior to the ODI Series against England last March that he planned to retire following the ICC CWC 2019, but he had a change of mind during the tournament and has made himself available for this series. He also has the extra motivation of two records for West Indies in this format to chase during the series.
Gayle now has 10 338 runs and needs 11 to pass batting legend Brian Lara (10 348) for the highest aggregate in ODIs for West Indies. He has 10 393 overall career runs and needs 13 to again pass Lara (10 405) for the most runs by a West Indian in the history of ODIs.
“Chris is a very valuable player and he brings a lot of experience, a lot of knowledge, he lends a lot to any dressing room and it is great to have him in the squad,” said interim West Indies head coach Floyd Reifer.
Reifer said Campbell, Chase and Paul have been brought back to add more balance to the squad, while Sunil Ambris, Darren Bravo, Shannon Gabriel and Ashley Nurse have all missed out on selection for the matches against Virat Kohli’s side. The rest of the ICC CWC 2019 squad remains in place.
“We have a mixture of some experienced and young ODI players,” said Reifer. “It is good to have Keemo, John and Roston back, and they will help to bring further balance to the team.”
Reifer added: “We have to start planning now for the World Cup in 2023 and we are looking for a solid squad that we can work with over the next four years. We want to build them into a consistent winning team in this format, so that they have a real chance of success in four-years’ time.
“We had a number of young players in the last World Cup squad. We played some decent cricket. We were in match-winning positions, but we just didn’t win the key moments or finish off the games. The players have learnt a lot from the World Cup, and we are looking to improve their skills, their mindsets and playing together as a team. The more they can play together, the better it will be for them.” (PR)
SQUAD: Jason Holder (captain), Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, and Oshane Thomas.
