CWI search for new captains

CWI Chief Executive Officer, Johnny Grave says cricket fans will soon know who will be the new captain of the white-ball team ahead of this year’s Twenty20 World Cup.

He expects the decision will come within weeks.

The search for a new captain is on following Kieron Pollard’s retirement from international cricket recently.

Grave said he was surprised when Pollard informed him of his retirement.

“I thought he would continue at least to the T20 World Cup in Australia. Obviously, the 50-over game is that longer format and older you get it is the more difficult to play and that may not have surprise me if he’d called it a day after the T20 World Cup later this year,” he told the Mason and Guest cricket radio show in Barbados last week.

Grave is hoping for a decision “shortly” so, “we can all get behind the new captains.” Before Pollard assumed responsibility for both the T20 and One-Day International teams, Jason Holder captained the One-Day International team and Carlos Brathwaite, the T20 team.

Grave said Pollard came in difficult circumstances in 2019 on the back of a disappointing 50-over World Cup and he has led the team in both formats  with great leadership in terms of bringing everyone together and mentoring those young players.

West Indies will have to go through a qualifying phase ahead of the Super 12 stage of the Twenty20 tournament which will be held in Australia from October.