Sports
Roneil Walcott
West Indies have announced their 15-man team for the 2026 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. The squad was revealed via a short video presentation by Cricket West Indies (CWI) on social media on January 26.
The team will be captained by Barbadian wicket-keeper/batsman Shai Hope and features many regulars and players who would have made the squad for the previous T20 World Cup in 2024. Some of the players retaining their spots from the last World Cup are: Test captain Roston Chase; Akeal Hosein; Gudakesh Motie; Rovman Powell; Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd. Left-handed opener Evin Lewis and recovering fast bowler Alzarri Joseph are two of the notable absentees from the squad, with hard-hitting Guyanese batsman Quentin Sampson arguably serving as the wildcard pick in coach Daren Sammy’s squad for the World Cup.
Sampson, 25, only made his debut for the Windies in their three-match T20 series versus Afghanistan from January 19-22. Sampson made 30 off 24 balls on debut, but followed that up with scores of two and three as the West Indies surrendered the series 2-1.
Via a post to his Instagram story on January 26, the 34-year-old Lewis hinted at a possible retirement.
“Just wanna thank everyone who supported me in my ten years of international cricket, but I think the time has come for me to depart,” Lewis said. “Stay tuned.”
A powerful and destructive player on his day, Lewis has played 70 One-day Internationals and 67 T20s for the Windies. In the T20 format, he has struck two centuries and 13 fifties and has amassed 1,799 runs for the Men In Maroon, averaging 29.01 at a strike rate of 152.07.
For the T20 World Cup, the two-time champions West Indies are in group C alongside England, Italy, Nepal and a Scotland team which has come into the tournament as a replacement for Bangladesh. The Windies will open their campaign against the Scots on February 7 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India.
West Indies team for T20 World Cup:
Shai Hope (captain), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Queintin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.
