King to skipper West Indies in T20 series vs South Africa

BRANDON KING will skipper the West Indies in front of his home fans in Jamaica this week during the three-match T20 International series against South Africa at Sabina Park, Kingston.

Those matches will take place on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, starting at 2 pm Jamaica time (3 pm Eastern Caribbean time).

King missed the recent West Indies ‘A’ team’s five-game T20 series away to Nepal due to a knee injury.

With the ICC T20 World Cup less than a fortnight away (which will be jointly staged in the WI and the United States), these matches will be a test of King’s readiness for the global tournament, as well as for the selectors to identify any reserve players whom they may choose for the June 1-29 event.

The World Cup-bound players included in the WI squad to face South Africa this week are King, his deputy Roston Chase, Johnson Charles, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd.

And the players retained from the Nepal trip (who are not part of the World Cup team) are Fabian Allen, Alick Athanaze (who served as Chase’s vice-captain during the trip to the Asian country), Andre Fletcher, Matthew Forde, Obed McCoy and Hayden Walsh jnr.

A surprise pick for the South Africa series is all-rounder Kyle Mayers, who was left out of the World Cup squad by the selection panel, comprising chairman Desmond Haynes and coach Darren Sammy.

The selection panel, according to a Windies Cricket tweet, stated, “(vice-captain) Alzarri Joseph and Sherfane Rutherford will be added to the squad if their respective franchises don’t reach the Indian Premier League (IPL) final.”

Joseph is a member of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rutherford is part of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ squad.

The tweet added, “Shai Hope (Delhi Capitals) and Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants) are both rested for the series and will join the squad in Trinidad on Monday, 27 May.”

The West Indies will play Australia in a lone World Cup warm-up game at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair, Trinidad on May 30.

Even though the media release did not mention the incumbent skipper Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer nor Andre Russell, all three are still involved in the IPL – Powell and Hetmyer with Rajasthan Royals, and Russell with Kolkata.

In related news, the South Africa team will be led by Rassie van der Dussen, who has not been named in their World Cup squad, but has T20 experience in the region with St Kitts/Nevis Patriots in the 2018 Caribbean Premier League.

The Rob Walter-coached South Africa team will comprise eight players who will feature in the World Cup – Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Ryan Rickelton and Tabraiz Shamsi.

Regular skipper Aiden Markram, David Miller, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen will join the squad after the 2024 IPL concludes on May 26.

Teams –

WEST INDIES: Brandon King (captain), Roston Chase (vice-captain), Fabian Allen, Alick Athanaze, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh jnr.

SOUTH AFRICA: Rassie van der Dussen (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Matthew Breetzke, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Patrick Kruger, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje.

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