Wicketkeeper-batter Shai Hope and pacer Oshane Thomas were recalled as the West Indies named a 15-member provisional squad for the five-match T20I series against India, beginning on Thursday at Tarouba.

All 15 members of the provisional squad, to be led by Rovman Powell, will travel to all matches. There will then be a 13-member squad for each match from which the final XI will be selected, Cricket West Indies (CWI) said.

The 29-year-old Hope, who led the Windies in the ODIs, last played a T20I in February 2022 in Calcutta during the tour of India. The 26-year-old Thomas, on the other hand, is coming back after playing his last T20I in Karachi in back December 2021.

Lead selector Desmond Haynes said the squad was selected with next year’s ICC T20 World Cup at home in mind. “As we prepare, we are looking to build a unit which we believe can do the job when we host the global event in just under a year,” Haynes said.

“We have some match-winners in our line-up and we will look to have the right kind of preparation. We also have other players who could come into consideration going forward. With the Caribbean Premier League starting next month, others will come into the reckoning.” PTI