Hope for the best: West Indies' white-ball captain has made himself a force across formats

Shai Hope is having a dream run. Since 2023, he has made his debut in six T20 leagues around the world, has been named West Indies' ODI and T20I captain, and has returned to Test cricket. He spoke from South Africa, where he is playing for Pretoria Capitals in the SA20, about his evolution as a T20 batter, how West Indies can get better, and more.

Where do you feel your T20 batting stands now?
I would say it's progressing. I'm learning a lot every single day, especially bouncing ideas off some of the other guys in the team - whichever team I play for. I've had the experience of travelling around the world, playing in different leagues, gaining experience - especially in the CPL, [with] some guys coming from overseas, [and] just sharing that knowledge.

And it has been helping me a lot, especially with my power game, changing gears, [and] understanding situations a lot better. So I just believe for the last couple of years or so, I've been progressing a lot, trying to add things to my game. And one thing about me is, I always try to find ways to keep getting better. So that's the aim for me right now.

All of your T20 hundreds have come since 2023. Looking at your improving numbers and impact in this time, can you tell me what has changed? What did you work on?
I think a lot of it has to do with the mindset. I don't think I changed too much in terms of the technical side of things. It was more of a mindset change, and just being a little bit more adaptable and evolving with the game as well.

Even the Test game has evolved, and the run rates have increased even more. So [I've been] just understanding what's required in certain situations and trying to put a bit more pressure back onto the bowlers and not allowing them to settle as much, while still being adaptable in whatever situation you're faced with.

Because sometimes you'll be in the powerplay, three or four down, and you've got to find ways to not allow bowlers to settle and not give them another chance to have more inroads. So understanding when is the right time to go, depending on surfaces, conditions, opposition bowlers - there's so much to it. I think that part of it makes me tick a little bit more.

Just being in the game and being as adaptable as possible has allowed me to progress and be a lot better in the last few years.

What do you think helped you change your mindset?
Probably opportunity as well, because I haven't been playing consistently in the [Test] format. I was in and out of the team. When I came in, they [gave] me a specific role and that [was] more to keep the innings together. It was more low-risk cricket, trying to ensure that the power-hitters get that back-end depth that we're looking for.

So maybe a change in roles, a change in mindset [helped]. But yeah, it's just about having that freedom, having that clear mindset, trusting the plan - whatever I'm doing. Some days it won't come off, some days it will. I just felt as though the game has evolved and you can't [get stuck] in the past. I felt I needed to try things, try to develop my game as best as I could. And I trusted my preparation, trusted my planning, and just backed whatever I prepared in the nets.

And the discussions, the research that I've done for the opposition, the conditions - everything just came together. In the last few years things have just been on the rise for me.

Did you work with anyone in particular to develop skills like power-hitting?
It's difficult to single out anyone in particular because everyone brought something different to my progression and to my game. My brother, Kyle Hope, is in my corner 24x7. Anything that I see or he sees, he's very quick to come to me and [say] "Okay, maybe you should try this. Maybe you should leave this out."

There's so many other people who've been involved with that progression. [Like] Daren Sammy [West Indies head coach]. [The World Cup Qualifiers in 2023 was] when he really came into the position as head coach. We do a lot of striking drills. We started to focus on some of those things. And then our batting coach now, Floyd Reifer. We're all just trying to continue progressing and trying to find ways to help each and every batter, not just myself.

And then we speak about the different leagues that I play - [being coached by] the Ricky Pontings and the Lance Kluseners. Everyone brought something different to my game, so it's tough to single anyone out. But if I did have to single someone out, it would have to be my brother, because he would have seen things that I do, things that I need to focus on more, [and] things I need to take away from. And it helps he's got some international experience as well.

How has the experience of playing franchise leagues shaped your T20 batting?
I'm one who always focuses on winning. I know it's a big part of sport. When you play a sport, you want to win.

I've been involved with the ILT20 [in 2024-25]. My first time playing and we [Dubai Capitals] won. I got the most runs as well in the tournament. So that meant a lot to me, playing against and with some of the best in the world and performing the way I did and helping the team to lift the trophy.

There are so many different things, [like getting] picked for IPL [in 2024]. We all know how big of a tournament that is. We [Delhi Capitals] didn't get to the latter stages, unfortunately; we just missed out. But the experiences there will live with me forever.

And then there's the Big Bash. Different conditions once again. So there's so many things that I can pick from.

And I know for a fact that these things are helping me along in my career - whether it is playing with some of these guys who've been there, done that, or just experiencing some of the conditions. So when we do get on these international tours, from a West Indian standpoint, it always gives me that confidence to know, "Okay, I've done this before, I've experienced this before, so I'm ready to go."

You also returned to West Indies' Test side last June after three and a half years out. Since then, you are their highest run-getter, and you've made two centuries. What did you work on during your time away from the format?
Unfortunately, I didn't get as much time as I wanted to focus on specifics because the international schedule is so hectic these days. It's almost bouncing from one tour to the next. So the remedial work is quite tough to get into. Like I said, the biggest thing for me for the last few years was the mindset change - just trusting that I can get the job done because I've done it before, and not necessarily focusing on the baggage [of] the past or the lack of performances.

[It's about] starting on a clean slate. Whatever the team requires me to do, just put that out there. Just do everything I possibly can to give the guys my all, understand situations better, and trust my game a bit more.

It's just about translating those 30s, 40s, 50s into big scores, and the consistency I spoke about earlier. As long as I can get that with my batting, it'll help the team get a lot bigger totals to defend and will put the bowlers under less pressure.

You are now one of the rare regulars for West Indies in all three formats. That has meant non-stop cricket for you. How have you tried to be consistent while regularly switching formats?
It's more mental than anything. There are a few technical [things] that I may need to pay attention to from one format to the next. But more so is trusting that I've done it in the past, I've been in certain conditions before. "Okay, more of this may be required in this situation rather than what it was [in the] last series." And the luxury we have these days with technology or analysis makes life a lot easier when it comes to that.

But I think it's more mental than technical when it comes to the transition from format to format. I think that is the biggest challenge [while] playing so much cricket. And for me, when I'm not playing, I try to take my mind completely off it, so that when I hit a training day or when I get on the park for a game day, [I am] fully switched on, fully ready to go. So fitness-wise, I try to keep myself as strong, fresh and ready as I can.

Can you talk about a few of your innings across formats in the last few years which have stood out for you?
The hundred in India [in the Delhi Test] - getting my first one back after not playing for quite some time. I wouldn't say it's a monkey off my back, but it just gave me the confidence that I can do it in those conditions against those quality bowlers.

And then a couple of months down the road, a hundred in New Zealand in those conditions, and the team ended up saving the Test match.

So those things really make me proud as an individual, knowing that the work I've been putting in and seeing some of those successful innings coming to fruition, it makes you want to do even more. It encourages you and inspires you.

And a few knocks earlier last year as well - the hundred I scored against Pakistan in the ODI series [in August 2025]. I don't think we had beaten Pakistan in a series for a long time. I had an impact in [the decider] on a pretty challenging surface - it was gripping a bit, it wasn't as easy for strokeplay. And then we basically rolled them over in the second innings.

How do you think West Indies players can deliver such performances more often?
We need to find a lot more consistency. I think we let ourselves down in the crucial stages of [games]. We've been competing or sometimes outperforming the opposition for periods of the game, but then there's, like, one session or parts of a session that we almost undo all that hard work [in]. So we just need to find ways to try to stretch that [for] as long as we can. Maybe another ten, 15, 20 overs - whether it's with ball or bat. But I think those crucial moments of the game [can] change a one-off performance into maybe a 1-1 series or a 2-1 victory over one of the top teams in the world.

[We need to be] ruthless with that execution as well. And then having that same fight [and] energy in the field. We tend to neglect how important fielding is in cricket. A lot of times we just focus on how good a batter is or how good a bowler is, but we never embrace how much of an impact a fielder can have in a game - whether it's saving a couple of runs, [or] effecting a run out that can change the course of the game. So all those little things, we add them together, then you find a lot more consistency.

And it's something that we certainly need to focus on to get more consistent performances as a unit. Not just in the Test format; it's just in general. Because we've got talent, we've got skill, we've got a group of players who can get it done against the best. But as long as we're not doing it as consistently as we could, then we never see ourselves winning more consistently. So [if] we get to that stage, I think we can be unbeatable.

Recently a committee was formed, with legends like Brian Lara and Clive Lloyd in it, to look into West Indies' problems. Can you throw some light on what the committee discussed?
There have been a bit more discussions than I [was] a part of. I think it was more about getting that drive and that passion that they would have had back in the day. Let's just say we're trying to translate or try to find that gap between the past players and the present ones to find out what is really going to drive us and drive West Indies cricket forward. There's more technical stuff we need to [look at], there's more of a mindset approach we need to look at.

All in all, everything was to drive West Indies cricket forward. Things they would have done in the past may not necessarily work now, because as I said before, cricket has evolved, but there's still things that we can use from their time and bring it into ours. So it's just about trying to mesh the two together to get the best product out of West Indies cricket.

There's still ways that we can try to improve as an organisation, as a cricket team. And I don't think that will ever stop. You have to continue finding ways to get better.

As we all know, when there's a strong West Indian team, cricket is strong. We love to see West Indies doing well. And as long as we get that fire back in West Indies cricket, I think cricket is going to be one for the future for West Indies.

The last time the T20 World Cup was held in India, in 2016, you were the champions. What expectations do you have from West Indies this time?
Big expectations for sure. What we've been doing for the last two or three years or so hasn't been pretty spectacular. But like I said, we've been [showing] sparks. So now the challenge for us is to do it in a major tournament consistently. As long as every one of us are firing, [and] we are understanding when and where to do certain things, like I said, we're going to be a very good team in this [World Cup].

And as long as we're clicking in the world tournament and we find that momentum and we carry that all the way through, I think we're going to have a good chance of getting to the latter stages, and hopefully, potentially winning the World Cup.

We wanted to lift that trophy in front of our home fans, but we couldn't do it [in 2024]. So, hopefully, we can rewrite that history that we had back at Eden Gardens last time around.

This time you start your campaign at Eden Gardens. What will the feeling be like?
Our head coach [Sammy] was there the last time lifting that trophy [as captain]. So he'll be feeling the buzz from the last time for sure.