As the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 qualifiers are approaching, starting from Sunday 18th June, West Indies has taken out its playing 15. West Indies on Friday added in-form opener Johnson Charles, to strengthen their squad. Johnson Charles was a member of the West Indies XI that won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2016.
The 34-year-old has performed exceptionally well in a T20I against South Africa, smashing 118 off 46 balls, which made him an admirable and deserving player to fill in or surrogate the role of Gudakesh Motie, who is ruled out due to rehabilitation.
“We Want To Wish Motie The Best As He Continues His Rehabilitation..” – Desmond Haynes
West Indies will be fighting for the spot in ICC Cricket World Cup in Harare, Zimbabwe on Saturday, where they will prepare for 10 team tournament. They have been placed in Group A alongside hosts Zimbabwe, Nepal, Netherlands and the USA. Cricket West Indies (CWI) made a statement to the Press on the non-availability of Gudakesh Motie:
“Johnson Charles has been named as the replacement for Gudakesh Motie in the 15-member squad” Cricket West Indies (CWI) said in a statemen
“We Want to wish Motie the best as he continues his rehabilitation. He is one of the players who we expect to feature in West Indies Cricket going forward, so we want to see him recover fully so he can participate when called upon,” Lead selector, Desmond Haynes said in an official statement released by Cricket West Indies (CWI).
“When we discussed the replacement player, we looked at the possibility of another spinner in the squad. However, we felt it was better to go with Charles. He is experienced at the International level, he will add value to the team for what will be a very important tournament. He also has knowledge of the Zimbabwe conditions having played ODI Matches there before, so we see him as the right man for the job at this stage,” he added.
West Indies Squad For The ICC World Cup Qualifiers:
West Indies will be playing first against the USA on Sunday 18th June at Takashinga Cricket Club, aftermath they will play against Nepal on Thursday 22 June at Harare Sports Club. West Indies will confront Zimbabwe on Saturday 24th June at Harare sports club. The fourth Preliminary match will be against the Netherlands on Monday 26th June.
West Indies Squad: Shai Hope (C), Rovman Powell (VC), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran and Romario Shepherd.