Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The squad has been formed in South Africa, as they will play a three-match T20I series against South Africa from January 27 to 31. Under the captaincy of Shai Hope, West Indies have fielded a team with some strengths and weaknesses on paper.
Since the introduction of the Twenty20 format, many West Indies cricketers have had their talents positively marked, while, mostly due to lack of consistency, some cricketers quickly disappeared off the radar. The team that CWI has announced has some strong points as well as some weak points.
This article will evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and potential threats of the West Indies cricket team during the 2026 World Cup.
SWOT Analysis of West Indies Cricket Team:
Strengths – Firepower, Diversity, All-rounder:
Whenever we discuss the West Indies cricket team on the basis of T20 format, it cannot be denied that the West Indies team is capable of performing tremendously in a short period of time. The shortest format of the game becomes an ideal platform for them to showcase their strengths. Around the world, there are many West Indies talents who have been performing with dominance, including in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
As CWI noted in its official press release, the team is full of “balance, wide experience and a touch of mystery”. Along with Hope, batsmen like Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Matthew Ford and Brandon King are capable of scoring big runs if they are able to find good spots.
West Indies Cricket Board also keeps Johnson Charles as a backup wicketkeeper and backup power hitter who can dominate the opposition bowling unit as an opener.
The inclusion of several all-rounders like Forde, Chase, Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder provides much-needed balance to the team.
Weaknesses – Inconsistency, Fitness:
The only weakness of the West Indies cricket team is their inconsistent form. For years, former World Cup winners have been dealing with this issue; Time and again, they failed to play with supreme consistency throughout the tournament.
He is also struggling with fitness concerns before the T20 World Cup 2026. Leading wicket-taker Alzarri Joseph has been dropped.
Cricket West Indies reported, “Alzarri Joseph continues his return to action following injury. Although he has made significant progress, he has not yet been cleared for high-intensity competition and will continue to work closely with the CWI medical and performance teams.”
Opportunities – X-factor, conditions, pace:
The well-balanced team on paper has every potential to attract a good performance in the T20 World Cup. Players like Shepherd, Charles, Hope, Hetmyer, Holder and Rutherford are well familiar with the conditions in the subcontinent.
Since the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the West Indies batsmen will look to cause some carnage with their blades, which they have done on several previous occasions during their stints with their respective franchise teams.
It is the subcontinental conditions that can help the team become extremely dangerous during matches. Spinner Akeal Hosein, who has performed well for West Indies recently, could be their X-factor.
Threats – England, Pressure:
West Indies are in Group C along with Italy, Nepal, Scotland and England. The strength of the West Indies cricket team will be tested in the match against England. Additionally, it will be interesting to see how they can handle pressure situations while keeping their nerves strong.
West Indies squad for ICC T20 World Cup:
Shai Hope (captain), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Moti, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.
read more: Pakistan will not boycott T20 World Cup or India match due to fear of Jai Shah