Antigua: Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Tuesday announced their 16-man squad for the three-match T20 International series against Afghanistan from January 19 to 22 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The series is an important part of West Indies’ preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which begins on February 6.
The final World Cup squad will be announced ahead of the three-match T20I series against South Africa scheduled from January 27 to 31.
Regular T20I captain Shai Hope along with experienced players Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein and Sherfane Rutherford are unavailable due to their commitments in the ongoing SA20 tournament.
In Hope’s absence, Brandon King has been named captain. King has previous leadership experience having led the West Indies in T20Is, including a domestic series against South Africa in early 2024.
Fast bowler Shamar Joseph and opener Evin Lewis return to the team after successfully completing their return-to-play protocols following injuries sustained in the previous series.
However, Aljari Joseph, who has been sidelined until the end of 2025 with an injury, has not been included as a precaution following a medical review, despite making encouraging progress in his rehabilitation programme.
His place in the World Cup squad will continue to be monitored.
Meanwhile, 2025 Caribbean Premier League breakout star Quentin Sampson has earned his first international call-up.
He replaced the rested Rovman Powell in the series along with Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd as part of workload management.
Head coach Darren Sammy said the series will be a great tuning exercise ahead of the World Cup and an opportunity to regroup key players returning from long layoffs.
“The opportunity to play competitive matches in sub-continental conditions is great as it helps build our preparations and confidence ahead of a competitive T20 World Cup,” Sammy said.
“It provides a valuable platform to assess players who may have missed significant time at the end of 2025 and who will step into key roles for the series before finalizing the World Cup squad,” he added.
For the uninitiated, the team departs the Caribbean on January 14th and arrives in the UAE on January 16th.
West Indies T20 squad against Afghanistan:
Brandon King (c), Alik Athanas, Keezy Carty, Johnson Charles, Matthew Forte, Justin Greaves, Amir Jangoo, Shamar Joseph, Evin Lewis, Kudkesh Moti, Kari Bear, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seals, Ramon Simmonds, Shamar Springer and Shimron Hedmeier.
Full tour schedule: