BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH the West Indies tour of South Africa set to bowl off next week, on Tuesday (Feb. 14) Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced Shai Hope as the new captain of the West Indies Men’s One-Day International (ODI) team and Rovman Powell as the new captain of the West Indies Men’s T20 International (T20I) team.
The announcement comes as the teams gear up for the tough series and the first since former captain Nicholas Pooran stepped down from the position late last year after a disastrous T20 World Cup in Australia, as the regional side failed to make it out of the qualifying round of the tournament.
That performance had prompted a review by the three-member panel Board of CWI who laid out a number of recommendations.
The duo- will line-up their respective squads in March when the West Indies face the Proteas in three ODIs and three T20Is from 16 to 28 in March.
“Each captain will be heavily involved in strategy and planning leading up to the next ICC World Tournaments. In ODI cricket, the West Indies are likely to need to qualify for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup, with the qualifiers scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe in June. In T20I cricket, the West Indies will be hosting the next ICC T20 World Cup with the USA in June 2024,” a CWI statement read.
Hope was selected as ODI captain after demonstrating strong leadership on and off the field, and experiencing the vice-captain’s role over a number of series since 2019.
He became vice-captain for a second time in June 2022 and played his 100th ODI for the West Indies against India in July last year. He has played 104 ODIs and was recently selected in the ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2022.
Hope said: “It is a tremendous honour and privilege to be appointed captain of any West Indies team. To lead a team that is of such incredible significance not only to myself and my teammates but to our legion of fans the world over, is something one dreams of as a child. The rich history and legacy that our region and our brand of cricket is so famous and loved for, requires no intricate explanation. I would like to thank CWI for entrusting me with this immense opportunity. To navigate West Indies cricket in the right direction will be my fundamental priority and a task that I shall be unwaveringly committed to. With the support of my team-mates and our dedicated fans, I look forward to a long and fulfilling tenure as captain of the West Indies One-Day International team.”
CWI’s Selection Panel recommended Powell as T20I captain, referencing his demonstrated leadership acumen and tactical ability when acting as the West Indies T20I vice-captain and as captain for Jamaica in 2022 with double success in both regional competitions.
He led Jamaica winning firstly the Caribbean Premier League with the Tallawahs in September before captaining the Jamaica Scorpions to the CG United Super50 Cup title in November.
“I’m truly humbled and grateful to be given this amazing opportunity to lead the West Indies. For me, this a huge vote of confidence and I see this as the greatest honour of my career. To be asked to ‘carry the flag’ for the people of the Caribbean, there’s no bigger role in cricket in the region — a job previously held by some of the greatest servants of West Indies cricket. I also want to thank CWI for allowing me to guide the team in the coming years as we set sights on the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which we will be jointly hosting with the USA next year. I’m a passionate cricketer who believes in leading from the front and always giving 100 percent. “Powell was quoted as saying by CWI Media
