West Indies shuffle squad ahead of final two T20Is against England

Alzarri Joseph, who is being rested ahead of next year's tour of Australia, and Shimron Hetmyer drop out, with Oshane Thomas and Johnson Charles taking their places in the 15-strong group

West Indies have shuffled their squad ahead of the final two matches of their five-match T20I series against England.

Alzarri Joseph and Shimron Hetmyer have dropped out of the 15-strong group, with Oshane Thomas and Johnson Charles taking their places.

Joseph, who picked up six wickets across the first three matches, is being rested ahead of West Indies' upcoming multi-format tour of Australia in 2024, which is scheduled to begin at Adelaide Oval on January 16 with the first of two Tests.

^{Shimron Hetmyer and Alzarri Joseph have dropped out of the squad [Ashley Allen/Getty Images]}

^{West Indies lead the series 2-1 [Randy Brooks/Getty Images]}

Hetmyer, meanwhile, is struggling for form, posting scores of 1 and 2 in the first two T20Is before being dropped for the third. In his past 20 T20Is, he has been dismissed for under 20 on 12 occasions.

Wicketkeeper-batter Charles has scored 988 runs in 44 T20Is, with his most recent international cap coming against India in August.

For fast bowler Thomas, however, if he plays against England, it would be his first T20I appearances for two years. The 26-year-old has taken 21 wickets with an economy of 9.4 in 20 T20Is.

West Indies currently lead the series 2-1, with the remaining matches due to take place in Trinidad & Tobago on December 19 and December 21.

West Indies squad: Rovman Powell (c). Shai Hope (vc), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas

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