Samuels, Fletcher named in 13-member Windies squad for Pakistan series

Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Friday announced a 13-member squad for the three-match Twenty20 International series against Pakistan set to be held in Karachi from Sunday.

The Calypsos roster, led by Jason Mohammed, will feature batsmen Marlon Samuels and Andre Fletcher, who contributed to the success of Peshawar Zalmi with hard-hitting knocks in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2018.

However, the team will not feature fan favourite Darren Sammy, who led the Zalmi side into the finals as skipper during the PSL. Star players Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, who played for Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars in the tournament, respectively, are also not part of the squad.

“Following the successful hosting of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Karachi on the weekend, our squad are now en route to Pakistan for our three-match T20I series," a CWI press release quoted CWI Chief Executive Officer Jonny Grave as saying.

“This Tour is a further major step for our friends at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to bring their cricket back home, and we are pleased that our players and support staff have recognised this and supported this venture.”

Grave said independent security advisors have confirmed to Windies authorities that "they are satisfied that the risk [of visiting Pakistan] is manageable and can be mitigated to an acceptable level.

Chairman of the CWI Selection Panel, Courtney Browne, said some of the players identified for selection, including regular T20I captain Carlos Brathwaite, had opted out of the tour due to security concerns.

“We had a few players that opted not to tour Pakistan, due to their or their families’ security concerns and CWI have fully accepted their position,” Browne said, adding that those players' replacements have an opportunity in the visit to push their claims for future selection.

CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams and President and CEO of West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) Wavell Hinds will accompany the squad on their trip to Pakistan.

Karachi, after successfully hosting the PSL final on March 25, is set to welcome back international cricket when Pakistan takes on the Windies at the National Stadium in T20Is on April 1, 2 and 3.

However, rumours had suggested that local fans won’t get to see the visiting side’s top-notch players. The Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts from April 7, was the reason behind the rumours.

The Pakistan squad for the West Indies series was announced earlier this week and includes Hussain Talat, Asif Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi — all of whom impressed during PSL 2018.