West Indies have sprung a gentle surprise by including Guyana Amazon Warriors batter Quentin Sampson in their 15-strong squad for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph misses out with a side strain, and the same group will first face South Africa in a three-match series that begins in Paarl on Tuesday.
It is, in truth, a familiar line-up. Jason Holder, playing his 87th T20I if selected, and Johnson Charles – heading to what will remarkably be a fifth World Cup – provide the senior know-how. Captain Shai Hope again leads, with Rovman Powell, Akeal Hosein and Sherfane Rutherford back after a brief stint in the SA20.
Two big names from the 2024 tournament, Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell, have since retired from international duty. Head coach Daren Sammy, who lifted the trophy as captain in 2016, now watches from the dressing-room balcony. Charles was out in the middle that night in Kolkata. Holder was in the squad but never got on the park – “I was desperate for a bowl, but the lads did the job without me,” he recalled recently.
Sampson is the fresh face. Twenty-five, left-handed and happy to bat anywhere in the top six, he managed only 35 runs on debut during last week’s Afghanistan series, yet selectors have leant on the larger sample from CPL 2025. There he scored 241 runs for runners-up Guyana at a strike-rate just over 151, often setting up brisk powerplay starts. Lead selector Desmond Haynes put it simply: “He hits gaps, he’s quick between the wickets, and he’s learning fast.”
Joseph’s absence removes the side’s quickest bowler, though West Indies are not short of pace options with Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales and Romario Shepherd all involved. The attack is likely to revolve around Hosein’s left-arm spin and Gudakesh Motie’s subtle variations once the caravan rolls into the subcontinent.
West Indies head to South Africa on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Afghanistan, a series skewed by the unavailability of several senior players. The itinerary is tight: Paarl on 27 January, Centurion two days later, Johannesburg on 31 January, then straight to India. Their World Cup campaign opens on 7 February against Scotland in Kolkata before group games against England (11 Feb), Nepal (15 Feb) and Italy (19 Feb).
The squad in full: Shai Hope (capt), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.
Plenty of known quantities, one exciting newcomer, and hardly any breathing space before the main event – very West Indian, some might say.
