MIDDLE-ORDER batsman Keacy Carty has received his maiden call-up in the Twenty/20 international format for the West Indies' three-match T20 series against Bangladesh at Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent and the Grenadines from December 15-19.
The 15-man squad for the series was announced on December 12, and also includes allrounder Justin Greaves, who's also uncapped in the T20 format.
The 27-year-old Carty has played 31 One-day Internationals (ODIs) for the Windies, to go along with four Tests after making his debut in the latter format versus South Africa in August. Meanwhile, Greaves has played seven ODIs and four Tests thus far and rattled off three consecutive hundreds in this year's CG United Regional Super50 tournament.
"Carty has shown us that he could be a batsman in the ODI format, and playing against Bangladesh – a team we cannot take for granted – we need all hands on-deck," said coach Daren Sammy, via a Cricket West Indies media release on Decmeber 12.
The right-handed Carty scored his maiden ODI century against England at the Kensington Oval in Barbados last month, and just missed out on his second ODI ton when he scored 95 versus Bangladesh in the final match of their three-match ODI series on Decmeber 12.
The upcoming series sees the return of 2024 Caribbean Premier League winner Johnson Charles, who was sidelined for the last two series with injuries.
The team will be captained by Rovman Powell, with his Jamaican countryman Brandon King to serve as his deputy. Regulars such as Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran and Romario Shepherd are also in the squad. Hosein will be available for the first two games of the series, but will be replaced by pacer Jayden Seales for the final game as he takes up obligations in the Big Bash League which starts on December 15.
Wicket-keeper/batsman Shai Hope and the in-form Sherfane Rutherford will be unavailable for the series due to their Big Bash commitments.
With Sammy and the team fully focused on preparations as they build towards the 2026 International Cricket Council T20 World Cup, the coach wants his team to end the year on a high.
"The squad was carefully selected with the players available to us and I believe this is our most settled with the experience we need to win championships," Sammy said.
"We all would love to give the Caribbean people a good pre-Christmas gift by winning the series to close off the year, especially for the people of SVG who didn't get to see the West Indies team during the (2024 T20) World Cup."
West Indies T20 squad for Bangladesh series:
Rovman Powell (captain), Brandon King (vice-captain), Keacy Carty, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Terrance Hinds, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer.
*Jayden Seales will replace Akeal Hosein after the first two games.
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