West Indies ODI squad: Hetmyer “reintegrated” to boost batting

Matches will be played at Sabina Park in Jamaica on the 3rd, 6th, and 8th of June, and the series is of great importance for the hosts, who are currently ninth in the ICC ODI rankings, three places behind the visitors.

Both sides will have their eyes firmly set on the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe, as only teams ranked in the top eight will secure an automatic berth (host nations excluded). Teams outside of the top eight as of March 31st 2027, face the prospect of an all-or-nothing qualifier to progress. Neither the West Indies nor Sri Lanka will want to take that risk.

On Sunday, Cricket West Indies announced their 15-man squad for the three-match ODI series in Jamaica. Perhaps the most eye-catching inclusion was the enigmatic middle-order batsman Shimron Hetmyer, who has been out of the 50-over squad since the 3-0 series defeat away to England last June, missing West Indies’ ODI contests against Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand.

Since Nicholas Pooran’s retirement in 2025, the ODI team has missed an impact batsman, especially in the number three and four positions. With skipper Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford established in the middle order, my understanding is that Hetmyer’s “reintegration” is an attempt to bolster the batting in that area. 

The change of heart was clearly influenced by Hetmyer’s performance at the 2026 T20 World Cup, where “Hetty” smashed 248 runs at an average of 41.33 and a strike rate of 186.46. A recent media release from CWI confirmed as much. 

“Following his impressive performances during the recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Shimron Hetmyer has been reintegrated into the West Indies ODI setup as part of CWI's strategic build-up towards the 50-Over World Cup in October and November next year.”

While he is clearly in form at present, Hetmyer, who made his ODI debut away to New Zealand in 2017, has only compiled 1,543 runs at 31.48 in 57 matches. Will he live up to CWI’s expectations this time around?

And what of the rest of the squad? The incumbent in the number three spot, Keacy Carty, also made CWI’s list, despite having struggled since the series away to England, notching just 98 runs in his last six ODI innings. Can he, too, buck that negative trend?

Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph is also in the team to face Sri Lanka after recovering from a back injury that had ruled him out of action for almost a year. Clearly, the selection committee have full confidence in his fitness.

Ahead of this series, CWI held a ten-day high-performance training camp at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua, featuring 17 players who were not involved in the 2026 Indian Premier League. However, inclusion in the camp was no guarantee of a place in the squad for the matches against Sri Lanka. Experienced opener Brandon King, wicketkeeper/batsman Jewel Andrew, and the left-arm spin duo of Khary Pierre and Vitel Lawes have all been left out.

The only question now is whether the selection committee has made the right calls. Will this group of players help West Indies avoid the complication and indignity of having to play a World Cup qualifier?