Cricket News : Evin Lewis returns to West Indies squad for T20 World Cup

The left-handed opening batter Evin Lewis has been selected by West Indies for their 15-man roster for the upcoming 2022 Men's T20 World Cup.

Two uncapped players, Yannic Cariah (right-arm leg-spinner all-around) and Raymon Reifer, are also on the team (left-arm batting allrounder). But there isn't a spot for veteran T20 players Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.

Lewis, 30, last represented the West Indies at the T20 World Cup in 2017. However, he hasn't been able to play since because of fitness-related issues.

Cariah, 30, made his ODI debut last month and currently plays for Trinidad & Tobago and Trinbago Knight Riders. However, 31-year-old Reifer, the son of former West Indies captain Floyd Reifer, has previously represented the West Indies in Tests and One-Day Internationals. He made his international debut in 2017.

The squad is under the command of Nicholas Pooran, with Rovman Powell serving as his assistant.

"We have selected a mixture of youth and experience to represent the West Indies,'

said Desmond Haynes, CWI's Lead Selector.

"In the selection process, we have been cognizant of the ongoing CPL and we have been looking at the players who have been playing very well. I said at the beginning of my tenure that I would be interested in giving players the opportunity and I think I have been consistent in doing that. I believe it is a very good team we have selected, and it is a team that will compete, given that we have to qualify from Round 1 into the Super12s.

"There are players who did not make the team and I hope they will continue to work hard and perform to their best in the CPL and the upcoming CG United Super50 Cup; because you never know what can happen in case of injuries or any other unforeseen situations where we might need to call up players as replacements."

Russell, an all-rounder, hasn't exactly been doing well in the shorter format, managing a top score of just 17 in the current CPL. According to Haynes, the selectors have made the decision to "move on" and consider players who are in good shape.

"We had a meeting with Andre Russell earlier in the year. We're still not convinced yet, he's not performing as well as we would like to see him in the competition. I think in the situation with Andre Russell, we've just decided to move on, and look for someone who's in form, and doing well in the T20 format."

Haynes also briefly touched upon the non-inclusion of spinning all-rounder Sunil Narine in the squad:

"I did not get any notice from Narine regarding his availability to play. There were conversations that the captain [Nicholas Pooran] was having with Narine, and from all reports, it seemed that he was not interested," Haynes noted.

● Squad: Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell (vc), Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Odean Smith, Johnson Charles, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Raymon Reifer, Obed McCoy, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein, Sheldon Cottrell, Yannic Cariah.

West Indies, the defending champions, will compete against Scotland, Zimbabwe, and Ireland in Australia's preliminary round for a spot in the Super 12s.

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