T20 World Cup 2024: West Indies’ strongest predicted playing XI against New Zealand, Match 26

With two wins under their belt, West Indies are on the verge of qualifying for the Super 8 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. However, they can’t take things lightly, especially with matches against New Zealand and Afghanistan. If they fail to win both matches, things can quickly turn and they can get eliminated. 

However, ahead of the match against New Zealand on June 13 at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad, skipper Rovman Powell sounded optimistic and believes that they can beat the Kane Williamson-led side. Having lost the opening game of the campaign against Afghanistan, New Zealand are under immense pressure and West Indies are eyeing to capitalise on that.

Also Read - If there's a good time to play New Zealand, it's now: Rovman Powell

Meanwhile, the hosts have produced quality performances so far in the competition but it can prove to be difficult against New Zealand, as they always step up in ICC tournaments. Keeping that in mind, will West Indies make any changes to their playing XI? Let’s dissect:

Openers - Brandon King, Johnson Charles

Brandon King hasn’t been at his best in the T20 World Cup. He is known for giving quick starts but has failed to step up against Papua New Guinea and Uganda. In two matches, the 29-year-old has scored just 47 runs combined. Against Trent Boult, who knows the art of picking wickets with the new ball, the challenge will not be an easy one but King needs to deliver to cement his place in the playing XI.

Johnson Charles, too, has not had a memorable season so far. However, in the last match against Uganda, the 35-year-old scored 44 runs off 42 balls, which should give him some confidence. His strike rate, however, remains to be an issue. Unlike New York, the surfaces in West Indies are much better and Charles should focus on scoring quicker.

Middle order - Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell (c), Shimron Hetmyer

Nicholas Pooran is a runaway match-winner. He was ruthless in the recently concluded IPL 2024 and can prove to be effective for West Indies as well. He looked to be in good touch but the keeper-batter needs to prolong his innings. If he manages to stay in the crease for the maximum time, there’s no stopping West Indies from winning.

Skipper Rovman Powell hasn’t had a great time so far in the T20 World Cup but he has a lo of potential. Against New Zealand, the skipper needs to step up and lead from the front for a suitable result. Like Pooran, he is well accustomed to the conditions and can be extremely effective under pressure.

Shimron Hetmyer is likely to make his return to the playing XI against New Zealand. The 27-year-old was nurturing an injury during IPL 2024 and despite that, he played a couple of matches towards the fag end of the tournament. However, West Indies didn’t want to take any risk and didn’t play him in the first couple of matches. He is likely to return against New Zealand in order to get some game time ahead of the Super 8.

All-rounders - Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Roston Chase

Over the years, Andre Russell has been a match-winner for West Indies and it’s no different in the T20 World Cup 2024. The star all-rounder smacked unbeaten 30 runs off 17 balls against Uganda in the last match and scored an unbeaten 15 against PNG. He also has three wickets to his name in the tournament and as the tournament progresses, Russell will only get more dangerous.

Romario Shepherd hasn’t had to do much with the bat so far but can play a key role if needed. The 29-year-old has two wickets to his name so far and can bowl in the death over, which is extremely vital for West Indies. They don’t have proper death-over specialists and along with Russell, Shepherd is likely to carry the job.

Roston Chase was promoted to number four against PNG and he has done a commendable job in the match. He made an unbeaten 42 off 27 in the match and proved that he can be effective in case West Indies lose a few early wickets. He is a floater in the West Indies squad and with the ball, can be effective in the middle overs. However, Powell has a lot of options to choose from and may not rely on Chase unless required.

Bowlers - Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie

Akeal Hosein was ruthless in the match against Uganda. He picked up five wickets, giving away just 11 runs in his four overs. In total, he has six wickets in two matches and the number is only expected to increase.

Alzarri Joseph proved very effective against Uganda but it will be a difficult challenge against New Zealand. He struggled against quality players in IPL 2024 and the Black Caps have plenty of them in the squad. He can be effective in the powerplay but on the contrary, he leaks a lot of runs as well. 

Gudakesh Motie picked up two wickets in two matches so far but what applies to the majority of the players, applies to him as well. Facing PNG and Uganda was a different task in comparison to facing New Zealand and Afghanistan. It needs to be seen how Motie performs against the big teams in the remaining matches. 

West Indies’ Predicted Playing XI: 

Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Roston Chase, Rovman Powell (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie