Cricket West Indies is poised to include batsmen Rovman Powell and Brandon King as the only Jamaican representatives in its final squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. While a provisional roster has been submitted to cricket’s global governing body, the definitive team selection will be formally announced following the conclusion of the T20 series against Afghanistan on January 22.
Rovman Powell, despite being relieved of his T20 captaincy by Head Coach Daren Sammy in 2025, remains a crucial asset to the Caribbean side. Appointed skipper in February 2023, the 32-year-old power hitter guided the team to 19 victories in 37 T20 internationals, including a notable Super 8 stage performance at the 2024 World Cup hosted in the Caribbean. Under his leadership, the West Indies ascended from ninth to fifth in the ICC T20I rankings. Nevertheless, Shai Hope succeeded him as captain in March 2025. Powell’s consistent performance—scoring 321 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 154 in 2025, with a highest score of 79 against England—cements his place for a third consecutive World Cup appearance.
Brandon King, named captain for the Afghanistan series commencing next Monday, is also anticipated to secure his third straight World Cup selection. The 31-year-old top-order batsman, who maintains a career average of 26 with a strike rate of 133, recorded two half-centuries in 10 innings last year, both achieved during the home series against Australia in July.
Miles Bascombe, CWI Director of Cricket, clarified the selection strategy, emphasizing that the Afghanistan series would serve as the final evaluative stage before solidifying the squad. “We have the good fortune of having Afghanistan and South Africa before we head into the warm-up matches for the World Cup,” Bascombe stated during an interview with WESN TV in Trinidad. “We submitted a provisional squad as required, but we informed the ICC that following the series against Afghanistan is when we will formalize our squad.”
The inclusion of Powell and King ensures Jamaica’s uninterrupted representation across all 10 editions of the T20 World Cup, albeit marking the first instance with no more than two players from the island. The two-time champion West Indies will commence their Group C campaign against Bangladesh on February 7, followed by matches against England, Nepal, and Italy, with the top two teams advancing to the quarter-finals.