West Indies confirm squad for England ODIs as "rebuild" for 2027 World Cup begins

Allrounders Sherfane Rutherford and Matthew Forde could make their ODI debuts during the three-match series while Shane Dowrich and Kjorn Ottley have earned recalls

West Indies have named uncapped duo Sherfane Rutherford and Matthew Forde in their 15-strong ODI squad to face England as they begin the rebuilding effort for the 2027 World Cup.

The two-time champions failed to qualify for the 2023 tournament and will not be involved in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

December's three-match series, which is followed by five T20Is, will be West Indies' first outing since August.

Batting allrounder Rutherford, who has six T20I caps, earned his place in the squad after scoring 278 runs, including his first List A century, in the Super50 Cup. For 21-year-old bowling allrounder Forde, this is his maiden international call-up.

^{Sherfane Rutherford and Matthew Forde could make their ODI debuts against England [Randy Brooks/Ishara S Kodikara/Getty Images]}

They are joined in the squad by wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich, who earned his only ODI cap against Bangladesh in May 2019. The 32-year-old averaged 78 for Combined Campuses and Colleges in the Super50 Cup. Opener Kjorn Ottley, who played two ODIs in January 2021, has also been recalled.

Shai Hope continues as ODI captain, with bowler Alzarri Joseph appointed vice-captain after demonstrating "maturity and good leadership qualities" for Leeward Islands on the domestic stage.

However, Jason Holder and Nicholas Pooran were unavailable for selection as they prioritise other formats while Justin Greaves, who scored 403 runs at 80.60 in the Super50 Cup, is injured.

Other notable absentees include Rovman Powell, Dominic Drakes, Kyle Mayers and Jayden Seales while there was also no room for Darren Bravo, who topped the run-scoring charts in the Super50 Cup and captained Trinidad & Tobago to the title.

Lead selector, Desmond Haynes, said: "We named Alzarri Joseph as vice-captain as he demonstrated maturity and good leadership qualities for the Leeward Islands Hurricanes during the recent Super50 Cup. We believe with exposure and opportunities he could be a future leader in West Indies cricket.

^{Shane Dowrich, who last played international cricket in December 2020, has been recalled [Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images]}

"Matthew Forde is a whole-hearted cricketer who has been impressive. He is one of the players coming through the West Indies Academy program 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 rebuild for success at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027."

West Indies will face England in Antigua on December 3 and December 6 before the series relocates to Barbados for the third ODI on December 9.

West Indies ODI squad: Shai Hope (c), Alzarri Joseph, 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