Afghanistan vs West Indies: Brandon King & Hayden Walsh Jr. included in WI T20I squad

West Indies have named veteran all-rounder Kieron Pollard as their skipper for their upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. The Caribbean outfit has sacked Carlos Brathwaite as their skipper and has also dropped him from the squad after the dismal display at home against India a couple of months ago. India had thoroughly outplayed West Indies to whitewash them in the three-match series.

West Indies have also included some new faces in the squad with Hayden Walsh Jr. being the highlight. Walsh had made his international debut for the USA earlier this year but has now found a place in the West Indies team. He broke into the team after his sensational performances in the Caribbean Premier League. The spinner picked up 22 wickets at an economy rate of 8.28 for the eventual winners Barbados Tridents.

Along with Walsh, Guyana Amazon Warriors’ opening batsman Brandon King has also been named in the squad. King was the top-scorer in this season’s CPL with 496 runs in 12 innings at a strike-rate of nearly 150. Among some notable players who have failed to retain their place in the squad are Oshane Thomas, Sunil Narine, and Keemo Paul. The trio was a part of the squad that lost to India.

West Indies have also recalled their Test skipper Jason Holder, opening batsman Lendl Simmons and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin. Alzarri Joseph, who is yet to play a T20I, has also got a place in the team. West Indies, meanwhile, will play three T20Is, three ODIs and a solitary Test against Afghanistan in Dehradun.

A fresh start for Pollard and Phil Simmons

The reigning T20 World champions will be looking for a fresh start under the new captain and the returning coach Phil Simmons. Simmons took over as the head coach on Monday and is well aware of Afghanistan’s strengths and weaknesses. He served as Afghanistan’s coach before becoming the West Indies coach. The series will get underway on November 5.

West Indies T20 squad:

Kieron Pollard (C), Nicholas Pooran, Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder, Lendl Simmons, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh Jr., Khary Pierre, Sheldon Cottrell, Denesh Ramdin, Kesrick Williams, Alzarri Joseph

[interaction id=”5da07a3f923548163317453b”]