West Indies name Russell in World Cup squad, Pollard, Narine miss out

New Delhi: Cricket West Indies (CWI) have named all-rounder Andre Russell in their One Day International (ODI) squad for the World Cup, which is slated to be held from May 30 in England and Wales.

CWI left out the experienced duo of Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, who are currently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), from its 15-member World Cup squad.

Senior campaigner Chris Gayle could be the key man once again at the top of the order. The left-handed batsman, 39, has played 289 ODIs, with 51 half-centuries and 25 tons to his name, at an average of 38.16.

All-rounder Jason Holder, who is ranked joint-sixth in the ICC ODI All-Rounder Rankings, will lead the team.

Another seasoned player Devendra Bishoo failed to make the cut, with Fabian Allen and Ashley Nurse set to take up spinning responsibilities. Fast bowlers Keemo Paul and Alzarri Joseph also missed the cut. Joseph did not consider due to injury.

Interim chairman of the CWI selection panel Robert Haynes announced the squad during a media conference on Wednesday.

“Looking at the condition of pitches in ODIs over the last few years in England and Wales, it appears that big totals will be the order of the day, so we believe we have a line-up that can put big totals on the board or chase them,” Haynes said in a statement.

He termed the West Indies team batting line-up as a strong point.

“We believe we have good depth to our batting which will allow us to play the brand of cricket that will give us the best of chance of winning the World Cup.

“It will be a long tournament and it will be important for the bowling attack to stay fit and healthy for us to remain competitive and make a strong push to win the World Cup,” he added.

The 15-member squad includes nine players that will be making their first appearance in the global showpiece event.

Squad: Jason Holder (c), Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ashley Nurse, Fabian Allen, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Oshane Thomas, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Evin Lewis. (UNI)