Cricket West Indies selection panel named the 13-member squad for the 4th T20I against South Africa. Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has been named in place of Kevin Sinclair in the squad against South Africa while Jason Holder has been rested.
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel has named the 13-member squad for the fourth T20I against South Africa. The match will be played at the Grenada National Stadium on Thursday, July 1. Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has been named in the squad announced by Cricket West Indies for the first time in the series with the West Indies trailing 2-1 in the five-match T20I series.
Cricket West Indies Rested Jason Holder And Names Akeal Hosein In 13 Man Squad
Two-time World Champions, West Indies won the series opener by eight wickets on Saturday. South Africa won the second match by 16 runs on Sunday and secured a narrow one-run win in a thriller on Tuesday. After taking an early 1-0 lead in the five matches slated, the home side’s original plan to chase has been countered well by South Africa, who have held on to 16-run and 1-run victories to go 2-1 up.
Roger Harper, Lead Selector of Cricket West Indies in an official release said: “Jason Holder is out of the squad on planned rest with a view to managing his workload, while Shimron Hetmyer, who was a late replacement for Chris Gayle in the last game, remains in the squad. Kevin Sinclair makes way for Akeal Hosein in keeping with the Selection Panel’s quest to determine our best squad and best XI. The objective remains to win this game and the series.”
Jason Holder and Kevin Sinclair have been rested and they make way for Chris Gayle and Akeal Hosein, as the left-arm spinner gets his first call up of the series.
Chris Gayle has now been shifted to the number 3 position in West Indies’ team also. He scored 32* off 24 balls in the victorious first T20I. The dashing left-hander was then rested from the third T20I, where Shimton Hetmyer, batting at number 4 as Jason Holder was promoted to number 3, impressed the selectors with 17 off 10 and has retained his place.
Left-arm spin has been the catalyst of South Africa’s success in the series, with George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi combining for seven wickets across the first three matches. Tabraiz Shamsi in particular has been effective and is the only bowler with an economy under five in the series.
In response, left-arm orthodox spinner Akeal Hosein has been added to the 13-man West Indies squad named by Cricket West Indies with the 28-year-old replacing off-spinner Kevin Sinclair. Yet to taste international T20 action, Akeal Hosein has represented the West Indies in six One Day Internationals and claimed 3/26 against Bangladesh on debut back in January. With an economy of just 4.16 in his young ODI career, he has conceded less than seven runs per over in domestic T20 cricket, claiming his wickets at an average under thirty.
West Indies Will Play 15 T20s In 3 Months Against South Africa, Australia, And Pakistan In A Bumper T20 Season
This ongoing series forms part of the Cricket West Indies’ World Cup preparation with a total of 15 T20Is to be played across three months in the build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup to be played from October 17 to November 14 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The two-time T20 World Cup champions have a bumper T20 home season: they host South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan for a total of 15 T20Is (5 each) – punctuated by ODIs and Tests – in preparation for their title defence in the 2021 T20 World Cup later in the year in the UAE.
Windies squad for the fourth T20I: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran, Fabien Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Chris Gayle, Andre Fletcher. Shimron Hetmyer, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons.