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Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer included in provisional 18-man squad for this summer’s T20 matches

Andre Russell and Shimron Hetmyer have been included in a provisional 18-man squad selected for the three back-to-back five-match T20 International (T20I) Series against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan this summer.

Fast bowler Oshane Thomas and leg spinner Hayden Walsh Jr have also been recalled alongside those players who defeated Sri Lanka 2-1 in the T20 series between the two countries in March.

The squad will quarantine and train in St Lucia ahead of the first T20I Series against South Africa starting on the June 26 at the Grenada National Cricket Stadium. The official squad will subsequently be selected and announced ahead of each Series.

“The Provisional T20I Squad was put together with all T20I Home Series Matches against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan in mind. This gives us the opportunity to continue to build towards the upcoming World Cup and to determine our best squad and our ideal 11,” said West Indies Chief Selector Roger Harper.

Meanwhile, West Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons is confident going into the summer and looking forward to the World Cup. The West Indies are defending champions having won the World Cup in 2012 and 2016.

“These upcoming T20Is are crucial in terms of our preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup. We have assembled a very solid squad — with experienced world-class match-winners and some exciting young talented players, ready to explode onto the global stage and do great things for West Indies cricket,” he said.

“We are at that point where we have identified those who we will look to be the core of the squad to defend our World Cup title, so we want to make sure the upcoming matches create that environment — the way we train, the way we plan, the way we execute and the chemistry within the group. We won five years ago, so the next few weeks and months will be major steppingstones on the road towards defending our title and being World Champions for a third time.”

The full squad comprises Kieron Pollard – Captain, Nicholas Pooran – Vice Captain, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has been working closely with regional governments, their ministries of health and CARPHA to ensure the training camps and matches can proceed within a bio-secure environment.

All players and support staff will undergo rigorous COVID-19 testing prior to and during each of these engagements.

The West Indies match schedule is as follows:

June 26: 1st T20I, Grenada National Cricket Stadium

June 27: 2nd T20I, Grenada National Cricket Stadium

June 29: 3rd T20I, Grenada National Cricket Stadium

July 1: 4th T20I, Grenada National Cricket Stadium

July 3: 5th T20I, Grenada National Cricket Stadium

West Indies vs Australia

July 9: 1st T20I, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia

July 10: 2nd T20I, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia

July 12: 3rd T20I, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia

July 14: 4th T20I, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia

July 16: 5th T20I, Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St. Lucia

West Indies vs Pakistan

July 27: 1st T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

July 28: 2nd T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

July 31: 3rd T20I, Guyana National Stadium

August 1: 4th T20I, Guyana National Stadium

August 3: 5th T20I, Guyana National Stadium