(Reuters) -West Indies recalled experienced pace bowler Ravi Rampaul to the team for the first time in six years as the defending champions on Thursday named their squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman in October-November.
Rampaul, a member of the 2012 World Cup winning squad, played his last T20 match against Sri Lanka in 2015 and returns to bolster a solid looking lineup that will look to deliver an unprecedented third title for a single team.
“Rampaul is a highly experienced bowler… He will boost the team’s wicket-taking options in the power play and the middle phase and will provide another option for the death overs,” Cricket West Indies lead selector Roger Harper said https://www.windiescricket.com/news/world-champions-west-indies-name-squad-to-defend-icc-mens-t20-world-cup.
All-rounder Roston Chase earned his maiden call-up to the T20I squad.
“Roston Chase has shown that he’s a very capable T20 player. He performed well in the Caribbean Premier League in 2020 and has been outstanding in the 2021 edition so far.
“He has shown the ability to knit the innings together while still scoring at a fast rate with a low dot-ball percentage. He will be an excellent foil for explosive players in the team.”
West Indies, who are in Group 1, which also includes Australia and South Africa, take on England in their opening match of the tournament on Oct. 23 in Dubai.
The squad: Kieron Pollard (captain), Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.
Reserves: Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond and Toby Davis)
