(Cricinfo) With today’s deadline set by the ICC, set to end in another couple of hours West Indies remain the only team yet to announce their squad for the upcoming World Cup.
ESPNcricinfo understand Cricket West Indies (CWI) will submit the 15-man squad to the ICC today but will announce the squad tomorrow afternoon in Barbados (1.30 pm local time).
The squad will be picked by the freshly appointed interim selection panel chaired by Robert Haynes, along with Jimmy Adams (director of cricket) and West Indies’ newly appointed coach Floyd Reifer.
Although Jason Holder will continue to be the captain and Chris Gayle will almost certainly play his fifth World Cup, questions remain over the participation of the country’s other superstars, who have been successful in the last five years in domestic T20 leagues around the world.
Will Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, and even Dwayne Bravo, who opted to retire from international cricket last year, find a spot? Will Marlon Samuels, who has recovered from his knee injury, get the opportunity to play his fourth World Cup?
The hope comes from a new administration taking charge at CWI. Ricky Skerritt, the newly elected president of CWI, who was also once the manager of the West Indies team at the turn of the millennium, had said that the selectors will be looking at all available options.
The key questions for the selectors concern the two allrounders that would feature in addition to Holder. Will it be Russell and Carlos Brathwaite? Who will be Gayle’s opening partner, Evin Lewis or John Campbell? Who among Devendra Bishoo, Ashley Nurse and Fabian Allen will be part of the spinners’ group? Who among Keemo Paul, Sheldon Cottrell and Shannon Gabriel will accompany Kemar Roach in the fast bowling group? Will Nicholas Pooran make it as the back-up wicketkeeper?
Those questions will be known today and answered tomorrow.