(CMC) – West Indies bid to win their third ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup and become the first team to do it on home soil hit a snag when all-rounder Jason Holder was ruled out of the tournament because of an injury.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) did not specify the injury or the length of recovery time the 32-year-old Barbadian will require, but they indicated that left-arm fast bowler Obed McCoy will be his replacement in the final 15-member squad for the global showpiece, starting on June 1 in the Caribbean and the United States.
All the teams in the World Cup named provisional squads earlier this month and had until Saturday to make changes, after which they will require approval from the technical committee of the tournament.
According to the CWI media release announcing the final squad, Holder suffered the injury during his five-match stint for Worcestershire in the English County Championship in April–May.
“Jason is an experienced player in our set-up,” lead selector Desmond Haynes, the former Barbados opener and West Indies captain said.
“His absence will undoubtedly be felt both on and off the field. We look forward to having a fully fit Jason with us again soon.”
Haynes added: “While it is unfortunate to lose a player of Jason’s calibre, we are confident in the abilities of Obed McCoy.
“Obed has shown remarkable skill and promise in his performances, and this opportunity will allow him to further showcase his talent on the international stage. We believe he will bring a fresh and dynamic energy to the squad.”
McCoy is part of the West Indies side that leads South Africa 2-0 in a three-match Twenty20 International warm-up series that comes to an end on Sunday and has been played exclusively at Sabina Park in the Jamaican capital of Kingston.
He was the top wicket-taker for West Indies “A” on their Tour of Nepal in April-May, when he collected eight wickets in five matches at an average of 18.
McCoy will add a tinge more experience to a pace bowling attack led by vice-captain Alzarri Joseph and Guyanese rookie Shamar Joseph, with newly crowned IPL champion Andre Russell and fellow all-rounder Romario Shepherd for support.
CWI also named the five reserves – left-arm spinner Fabian Allen, wicketkeeper-batsman Andre Fletcher, pacer Matthew Forde, ambidextrous all-rounder Kyle Mayers, and leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr – from which Haynes and head coach Daren Sammy will choose in case of injury or exceptional circumstances.
“We are fortunate to have such depth and quality in our ranks,” said. “Our reserve players are all A-class talents who have proven their abilities in various formats of the game, but certainly T20. Each one of them is fully capable of slotting into the team seamlessly should the situation arise.”
The West Indies will play in Group “C” of the World Cup with Afghanistan, New Zealand, and two ICC Associate Teams: Papua New Guinea and Uganda.
Their first two matches in the tournament will be at the Guyana National Stadium, where they face the Papuans on June 2 and take on the Ugandans six days later.
The Caribbean side will complete the group stage against New Zealand on June 12 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Afghanistan five days later at the venue named after their head coach in his homeland of St Lucia.
Before the tournament, the co-hosts will face Australia this coming Thursday in an official warm-up match at the Queen’s Park Oval in the Trinidad capital of Port of Spain, starting at 7pm, East Caribbean Time.
The West Indies are two-time champions of the tournament, having won in 2012 in Sri Lanka and 2016 in India under the leadership of Sammy and the guidance of coaches Ottis Gibson and Phil Simmons.
Squad: Rovman Powell (captain), Alzarri Joseph (vice-captain), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, and Romario Shepherd.
Reserves: Fabian Allen, Andre Fletcher, Matthew Forde, Kyle Mayers, and Hayden Walsh Jr.
