Matthew Forde is fit again, Gudakesh Motie has been told to take a breather, and the West Indies have settled on a 15-man group for their five-match T20I trip to New Zealand from 5-13 November.
Head coach Daren Sammy kept the announcement simple. The fast-bowling stocks have been hit by injury, so Forde – shoulder sorted – comes straight back in. He joins Jayden Seales as the only out-and-out quicks, with Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd and new call-up Shamar Springer offering seam support from the all-rounder ranks. Springer is in because Ramon Simmons and Jediah Blades are both crocked.
The more curious move is Motie’s omission. Cricket West Indies said the left-arm spinner has shown a “recent dip in form”, linked to a couple of technical issues in his action. On the recent trip to Bangladesh he sent down just one over in the T20Is and looked a touch out of rhythm in the ODIs as well. Rather than carry him around New Zealand, where the pitches rarely help finger-spin, the selectors want him to work with coaches from the Royals Sports Group before the SA20. They still expect him to play a “key role” at the 2026 T20 World Cup, so this isn’t a long-term drop.
Krisnan Hurdle, a clinical psychologist, joins the back-room staff as Mental Skills and Performance Coach – a post CWI flagged up after that emergency board meeting earlier in the year. There’s been plenty of chat inside the camp about sharper decision-making under stress; Hurdle’s remit is to turn the chat into habits.
Captain Shai Hope again leads a batting line-up that blends the familiar and the raw. Brandon King slots back in at the top, while Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste and Amir Jangoo are still feeling their way into international cricket. Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford provide the middle-order punch.
Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein and Khary Pierre carry the spin, with Chase’s ability to bowl brisk off-breaks handy if the Kiwis stack the left-handers.
Fixture list is straightforward: Eden Park double-header on 5 and 6 November, Saxton Oval on 9 and 10, then University Oval, Dunedin on the 13th. The group fly south in decent spirits after that first-ever 3-0 away T20I sweep in Bangladesh, though nobody is pretending New Zealand in early November is a similar assignment.
Squad
Shai Hope (capt), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Brandon King, Khary Pierre, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer.
A few numbers for context
• Forde: 17 wickets, economy 7.4 from 13 T20Is.
• Springer: two caps, last appearance October 2024.
• West Indies in NZ: won one of their last eight T20Is there.
Not perfect preparation, and the attack looks a bit thin if the weather turns, yet there’s enough pace, power and spin to keep things interesting.
