Cricket West Indies (CWI) has decided to call back two key players – Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph – from the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe. The Caribbean side is already out of the qualification race but are yet to play Oman and Sri Lanka in the tournament. However, they will be without two of their key pacers in Holder and Joseph.
The workload of the two bowlers is being managed ahead of the crucial India series. The Caribbean side is set host India for two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is with the tour starting with red-ball cricket from July 12. The team is already without spin bowler Yannic Cariah who has been ruled out after suffering a facial injury in training. With Holder and Joseph also returning, West Indies are also left with 13 players now and no replacement has been named yet.
“Jason and Alzarri are two of our leading bowlers in all formats. We have a full schedule for the upcoming series against India, where we begin the new ICC World Test Championship, then followed by the ODIs and the five T20Is. Therefore, we had dialogue, and it was felt the best move at this time is to have two of our leading bowlers return early from Zimbabwe,” West Indies lead selector Desmond Haynes said in a statement.
Though West Indies crashed out of the World Cup qualifiers, Holder and Joseph were their top performers. While all-rounder Holder scored 144 runs and picked up six wickets, Joseph accounted for eight scalps with the ball. Cricket West Indies is yet to name the squad for the Test series against India but they have already named a 18-member group for a preparatory camp that will go on till July 9.
