Shepherd called up for West Indies ODI tours in Netherlands, Pakistan
Guyanese Romario Shepherd has been selected in the West Indies men’s squad for the upcoming One-day International tours in Netherlands and Pakistan while Shimron Hetmyer was unavailable for selection.
The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel has announced a 15-man squad for the upcoming ODI series against Pakistan and historic first ever ODI tour of the Netherlands.
Romario Shepherd is the only Guyanese selected in the squad.
Shepherd had his maiden ODI call up to the West Indies in late 2019 when the team faced Afghanistan. He currently represents Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing Indian Premier league 2022.
Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer was unavailable for selection to be at home for the birth of his first child.
The West Indies will visit the Netherlands for three ODIs on May 31, June 2 and 4, followed by another three ODIs on June 8, 10 and 12 in Pakistan.
Both series form part of the ICC ODI Super League, where teams will have the opportunity to earn points to secure one of the top seven places, excluding hosts India, to gain automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The West Indies are currently 10th on the Super League points table.
Three newcomers have received their maiden call-ups to the ODI squad; fast bowlers Jayden Seales and Shermon Lewis alongside specialist batter Keacy Carty.
Both Seales and Lewis have played at the Test level. Carty is the first player from St. Maarten to be selected for the West Indies Senior Men’s team.
Lead Selector, the Most Hon. Dr. Desmond Haynes said: “We were impressed with Carty and the way he goes about his innings, we saw several glimpses of his ability the way he played against England earlier this year for the CWI President’s XI. We hope that giving him this opportunity he will recognize the importance of representing West Indies. We think he is a young batsman with great promise, and this is the kind of tour he can show he fits in.”
Haynes added: “We also have a very good group of young fast bowlers who have demonstrated their ability and we want to use these two tours to give them opportunities in the 50-over format. We have a week in The Netherlands and another week in Pakistan and this should provide them with quality opposition to bowl against as we build towards the Cricket World Cup in 2023. Phillip has been around for some time, and we know what he can offer, Seales has been very good in Test cricket and Lewis is making a return to the West Indies set-up following some good performances.”
All-format all-rounder Jason Holder is being rested to manage his workload whilst Evin Lewis was not considered for selection after failing to meet CWI’s fitness criteria.
FULL SQUAD
Nicholas Pooran (Captain)
Shai Hope (Vice Captain)
Nkrumah Bonner
Shamarh Brooks
Keacy Carty
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Shermon Lewis
Kyle Mayers
Anderson Phillip
Rovman Powell
Jayden Seales
Romario Shepherd
Hayden Walsh Jr.
FULL MATCH SCHEDULE
West Indies tour of Netherlands
May 31: 1st ODI at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen
June 2: 2nd ODI at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen
June 4: 3rd ODI at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen
West Indies tour of Pakistan
June 8: 1st ODI at Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi
June 10: 2nd ODI at Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi
June 12: 3rd ODI at Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi
(CWI)
