Sherfane Rutherford, Matthew Forde receive West Indies call for England ODIs

West Indies have called up two uncapped players, Sherfane Rutherford and Matthew Forde, to their ODI squad to face England next month. There is also a return to the one-day set-up for wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich while Alzarri Joseph has been named as Shai Hope's vice-captain.

Dowrich, whose sole previous ODI cap came against Bangladesh in 2019, comes back in after averaging 78.00 in the domestic Super50 Cup, while there was also a recall for opener Kjorn Ottley, the third-highest run-scorer in the competition. Rutherford, capped six times in T20Is, also impressed while recording a maiden List A hundred, while Forde's all-round contributions for West Indies Academy won him a first international call as West Indies start to build towards the 2027 World Cup in South Africa.

"We named Alzarri Joseph as vice-captain as he demonstrated maturity and good leadership qualities for the Leeward Islands Hurricanes during the recent CG United Super50 Cup," West Indies lead selector, Desmond Haynes, said. "We believe with exposure and opportunities he could be a future leader in West Indies cricket. Matthew Forde is a whole-hearted cricketer who has been impressive. He is one of the players coming through the West Indies Academy programme who can form part of the future.

"England on tour of the West Indies is always filled with excitement and expectation. We expect this to be a hard-fought series, but we also believe this squad will do well in our home conditions. We have a clear vision. We are focused on building a solid team. Our main focus is to re-build for success at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027."

Having missed out on qualification for the 2023 World Cup, West Indies were last in action against India in August, when they were beaten 2-1 in the ODI format. Among those players involved against India to miss out on selection for the three England ODIs, starting on December 3 in Antigua, were Rovman Powell, Dominic Drakes, Kyle Mayers and Jayden Seales.

The squad convened in Antigua on Monday to begin preparations for the series, with nets, planning and fitness sessions at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and Coolidge Cricket Ground. The ODI series will be followed by five T20Is, spread between in Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad.

"Everyone is fully aware of what is required as we prepare to face England on our home soil," West Indies head coach, Daren Sammy, said. "The camp will be detailed and based on specifics which we have identified will be required if we are to be successful at the international level. We will have high-intensity, purposeful training sessions and everything that we do will be geared towards improving and winning," Sammy said.

"I believe in preparation. I believe when you prepare well you give yourself the best chance of winning. When you do the hard work, the right kind of work, when you finetune your skills, that will add value to your game."

West Indies ODI squad to face England: Shai Hope (capt), Alzarri Joseph (vice-capt), Alick Athanaze, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Shane Dowrich, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas