West Indies team touches down in Sri Lanka for cricket tour, glimpses excite netizens

Caribbean: The West Indies team landed in Sri Lanka for the cricket tour scheduled to kickstart on Sunday and will run through October 26, 2024. The series will feature three T20Is and three ODI matches at Dambulla Cricket Ground. 

The glimpses of the West Indies team from Sri Lanka went viral on social media, featuring Rovman Powell, Rostan Chase, Alick Athanaze and Shai Hope. The T20Is matches will be held on October 13, 15 and 17, 2024, while the other three ODI matches will be held on October 20, 23, and 26. 

The West Indies cricket team will kickstart its tour and series after the completion of the Caribbean Premier League where all players from the team played. Now, the team will participate in several series including the England tour in November and South Africa tour. 

The squad for both the formats have also unveiled, featuring the T20Is players such as Rovman Powell (captain), Roston Chase (vice-captain), Fabian Allen, Alick Athanaze, Andre Fletcher, Terrance Hinds, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer. 

On the other hand, the West Indies ODI squad will include players such as Shai Hope (capt), Alzarri Joseph (vice-capt), Jewel Andrew, Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh Jr.

Earlier, four key players withdrew from the squad for Sri Lanka tour for their personal reasons. The team will feature several new faces in the international format as Windies cricket has been paying attention to the young players. 

Key players including Andre Russel, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer and Akeal Hosein will not be present during the Sri Lanka. However, the reason was not disclosed by the board and the players. 

However, several new players including Terrance Hinds and Shamar Springer were taken into the squad after their impressive performance in CPL 2024. 

Netizens expressed delight at the glimpses and they said that it will be fun to see West Indies playing international cricket after so long. They also show excitement for the performance of several new faces and noted that there is a need of the young players who could help the team in returning to their champion form. 

One added,”There is need a proper board and a team that could lead West Indies perfectly and bring back its champion title in the cricket world.”