ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Stroke-maker Shai Hope has been named to replace injured all-rounder Marlon Samuels in the West Indies Twenty20 squad to face New Zealand, despite having not played a T20 in two years.
In fact, the 24-year-old has played just six T20s overall, the last four coming in the 2015 Caribbean Premier League when he gathered 39 runs for Barbados Tridents.
Hope, an elegant right-hander, has made his name in the Test and one-day formats and is now poised for his debut in the shortest form.
The Barbadian is one of two changes to the Twenty20 squad with off-spinner Ashley Nurse drafted in for Sunil Narine who is unavailable for “personal reasons.”
Meanwhile, exciting left-hander Shimron Hetmyer has been included in the one-day squad as one of three changes to the unit for the series beginning next week.
He replaces Sunil Ambris who fractured his arm during the second Test earlier this week and was forced out of the series.
Sheldon Cottrell has come in for fellow speedster Alzarri Joseph who is carrying a back injury while Chadwick Walton, already in the T20 squad, replaces Samuels for the ODIs.
West Indies clash with the Black Caps in three ODIs from December 20-26 and three T20Is from December 29 to January 3, 2018.
SQUADS:
ODI – Jason Holder (captain), Jason Mohammed (vice-captain), Ronsford Beaton, Sheldon Cotterell, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Kyle Hope, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Nikita Miller, Ashley Nurse, Rovman Powell, Shannon Gabriel, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams.
T20 – Carlos Brathwaite (captain), Samuel Badree, Ronsford Beaton, Rayad Emrit, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shai Hope, Jason Mohammed, Ashley Nurse, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams.