Akeal Hosein will captain West Indies for the first time later this month when a largely experimental squad meets Nepal for three T20 internationals in Sharjah.
Cricket West Indies confirmed on Wednesday that five uncapped players – Ackeem Auguste, Navin Bidaisee, Zishan Motara, Ramon Simmonds and Amir Jangoo – have been included in a 15-man group. USA batter Karima Gore, qualified through his Antiguan roots, also earns a maiden West Indies call-up after a steady Caribbean Premier League campaign that yielded 219 runs for Antigua & Barbuda Falcons.
“Opportunities like this don’t come around often, so the lads have to grab them,” lead selector Desmond Haynes said in a brief release. “We want to widen the pool before next year’s World T20.”
Alongside Hosein, the squad retains a sprinkling of senior figures: Jason Holder, Fabian Allen and Kyle Mayers provide experience with both bat and ball, while left-arm seamer Obed McCoy returns from injury.
Former fast bowler Ian Bishop welcomed the blend. “It’s sensible rotation,” he told regional radio. “You rest Shai Hope and the others, but you keep a spine that can guide the rookies.”
The tour sits outside the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, yet it offers useful match-time for both teams. West Indies A visited Kathmandu last April and, although they won the series 3-2, Nepal pinched two fixtures – a reminder that the associate side cannot be taken lightly.
Schedule
27 September 1st T20I, Sharjah
29 September 2nd T20I, Sharjah
30 September 3rd T20I, Sharjah
“I know Sharjah can grip a bit,” Hosein said during an online media call. “If it’s slow, our spinners – myself, Fabian and Zishan – should come into play. Still, we’ve asked the quicks to be ready for the new ball.”
For Nepal, the matches form part of their build-up to next year’s Asia Cup qualifiers; for West Indies, they are a low-risk chance to test depth. The trick, as Bishop noted, is “not to look past the here and now”.
Squad in full
Akeal Hosein (capt), Fabian Allen, Jewel Andrew, Ackeem Auguste, Navin Bidaisee, Jediah Blades, Keacy Carty, Karima Gore, Jason Holder, Amir Jangoo, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Zishan Motara, Ramon Simmonds, Shamar Springer.
Plenty of fresh faces, then, but enough old heads to keep things steady – and, with World Cup places up for grabs, every over in Sharjah should matter.
