West Indies announce squad for ODI series against India

The Cricket West Indies selection panel, led by Desmond Haynes, have named a 15-man squad for the three-match ODI series against India. Kieron Pollard will lead the side as West Indies look to bounce back from their humiliating one-day series defeat against Ireland.

Ahmedabad will play host to all three ODIs starting on February 6 after the BCCI made a shift in venues due to the rising number of cases in the country. The likes of Kemar Roach, Nkrumah Bonner and Brandon King have been recalled to the ODI setup.

Roach has bagged 124 wickets in 92 ODIs and has been an on-and-off presence in the national squad over the years. Bonner has scored just 51 runs across three matches in the format so far, while King has 97 runs in four ODIs.

Lead selector Desmond Haynes shed light on the decision to recall Roach and Bonner. The former opening batter said:

"Kemar Roach is one of our leading fast bowlers and we believe we need bowlers upfront to get an early wicket, and Kemar, with an economy rate of five, is certainly good enough to play. Over the last few years, Nkrumah Bonner's cricket has come on leaps and bounds and we believe he should be given an opportunity to play in the 50-over format."

While Bonner has only played three ODIs for the national team and averages 17.00, his List A record makes his case much more promising. He has scored 1956 runs in 64 List A games at an average of 34.31 and has a highest score of 122.

Haynes stressed that the team is looking at the tour as preparation for the next edition of the World Cup, which takes place in India. He added:

"We want to have competition for places. We want to reach a stage where we have a lot of players fighting for positions. We want to broaden the pool of players we have to choose from. The team we have selected is a very good side and we are looking at this tour as part of the preparations for the World Cup in India in 2023."

The three ODIs will be part of the ongoing World Cup Super League, where West Indies currently hold seventh place with 50 points to their name.

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West Indies squad for India ODIs

Kieron Pollard (c), Kemar Roach, Nkrumah Bonner, Brandon King, Fabien Allen, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shephard, Odean Smith, Hayden Walsh Jr.