GROS ISLET – Captain Rovman Powell has said there will be no major squad rotation for West Indies’ final Group C clash against Afghanistan in St Lucia later Monday.
The co-hosts have played unbeaten in the group stage and will take on the Afghans who are also unbeaten, at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground at 8:30 pm.
“I think we haven’t sat down as a selection group yet and actually picked the final XI or the final 12 that we’re looking forward to …,” Powell told a media conference Sunday.
“But what I can assure you is that we won’t make wholesale changes. We know how important this game is for the players that were looking forward to playing in our first Super 8 game.
“So, it’s not us trying to tinker with what we’re doing or trying to come up with different plans. It’s us sticking to our plans, sticking to our strengths, and having personnels in different roles.”
West Indies have played an unchanged XI for the first three games, beating Papua New Guinea by five wickets in Guyana, crushing Uganda by 134 runs at the same venue and collaring New Zealand by 13 runs in Trinidad.
Their batting has been muted, however, with Sherfane Rutherford scoring the only half-century and no player so far passing 100 runs.
They have been more impressive with the ball, fast bowler and vice-captain Alzarri Joseph picking up eight wickets and left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, seven, starring in the opening power-play.
Powell was quick to praise Hosein, who has led the Caribbean side’s spin attack featuring the hugely impressive Gudakesh Motie (five wickets).
“I think we start with Akeal Hosein, his strength is predominantly in the power-play and while he does such good work in the power play, right as we come out the power play is Gudakesh Motie’s time,” Powell said.
“So, it’s like Akeal Hosein passing the baton on to Gudakesh Motie and it’s been very good so far.
“When we sat down as a selection group and picked the World Cup team, we picked both of them knowing the role that they will play on these Caribbean wickets.”
One player who will come under the spotlight is opener Johnson Charles, the 35-year-old right-hander set to feature in front of his home crowd.
Already a two-time T20 World Cup winner, Charles has been in a mixed bag in this tournament, with scores of 0, 44 and 0, but Powell said the team would continue to back the player.
“It’s just a case of us telling him to be Johnson Charles be his natural self,” Powell stressed.
“If he’s an aggressive player, we expect him to play aggressive. But with that aggression, we know at some point he will fail and at some point, he will come good.
“So it’s for us now to support him, it’s for us now to give him that additional backing that he needs, and I think everyone is behind him to come good [on Monday] or when he get the opportunity in the future games.”
CMC
