Cricket West Indies has announced opener Johnson Charles as the replacement for Gudakesh Motie in the 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier starting on Sunday 18 June, in Zimbabwe. The Right-handed opener produced a match-winning performance for the Men in Maroon in the 2nd ODI against UAE in Sharjah.
West Indies team is rebuilding the entire team setup after their disastrous show in the 2022 T20 World Cup where they failed to qualify for the group stages being eliminated in the qualifiers as part of the process they have appointed Shai Hope as the captain of the ODI team and Rovman Powell as the skipper of the T20 team.
Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie is ruled out of World Cup Qualifiers in Harare, following his lower-back injury, as the West Indies went with experienced Johnson Charles in place of adding another spinner in the squad for the massive tournament.
“We want to wish Motie the best as he continues his rehabilitation. He is one of the players who we expect to feature in West Indies cricket going forward, so we want to see him recover fully so he can participate when called upon,” West Indies Chief Selector said.
The Men in Maroon have announced a full-strength squad for the ODI World Cup qualifiers with them looking to get into the main draw of the ODI World Cup later this year in India.
“When we discussed the replacement player, we looked at the possibility of another spinner in the squad. However, we felt it was better to go with Charles. He is experienced at the international level, he will add value to the team for what will be a very important tournament. He also knows the Zimbabwe conditions having played ODI matches there before, so we see him as the right man for the job at this stage.”
Johnson Charles, a wicketkeeper-batter made a comeback into the side for the T20 World Cup following stunning form in CPL 2022. He was part of West Indies’ 2012 and 2016 World T20-winning squads and is known for his hard-hitting skill set.
West Indies World Cup Qualifier Squad: Shai Hope (captain), Rovman Powell (vice-captain), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd.