Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced Shai Hope and Rovman Powell as the new captains of the West Indies ODI and T20I captains respectively. The wicketkeeper-batter Hope and batting all-rounder Powell will take over from Nicholas Pooran, who stepped down from the positions last November following the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia.
Both men had served as vice-captains under Pooran, and their first assignments will be the upcoming tour of South Africa in March where the West Indies face the Proteas in three ODIs and as many as T20Is from March 16 to 28, following two matches in the ICC World Test Championship.
Hope became vice-captain for a second time in June 2022 and played his 100th ODI for the West Indies against India in July last year. He has played 104 ODIs and was recently selected in the ICC ODI Team of the Year for 2022.
"It is a tremendous honour and privilege to be appointed captain of any West Indies team. To lead a team that is of such incredible significance not only to myself and my teammates but to our legion of fans the world over, is something one dreams of as a child.
"To navigate West Indies cricket in the right direction will be my fundamental priority and a task that I shall be unwaveringly committed to. With the support of my teammates and our dedicated fans, I look forward to a long and fulfilling tenure as captain of the West Indies One-Day International team," Hope said.
Meanwhile, Powell was the captain of Jamaica Tallawahs which won the Caribbean Premier League last year. He also led the Jamaica Scorpions to the CG United Super50 Cup title in November.
Powell has also led the West Indies in three ODIs and one T20I. "I'm truly humbled and grateful to be given this amazing opportunity to lead the West Indies. For me, this is a huge vote of confidence and I see this as the greatest honour of my career.
To be asked to 'carry the flag' for the people of the Caribbean, there's no bigger role in cricket in the region. "I also want to thank CWI for allowing me to guide the team in the coming years as we set sights on the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which we will be jointly hosting with the USA next year.
I'm a passionate cricketer who believes in leading from the front and always giving 100 percent," Powell said.