In the West Indies’ current T20 World Cup team, all-rounder Kyle Mayers has been authorised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take Brandon King’s place as the opener.
During the West Indies’ opening Super Eight match against England, King sustained a side strain while batting. He was batting on 23 from just 13 balls when the injury caused him to retire. He was looking really rhythmic. On Saturday, June 22, King was benched in favour of Shai Hope in the West Indies playing XI for their next matchup against the USA. With 86 runs from five games, King’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign came to an end.
Prior to the West Indies’ last Super Eight stage match against South Africa on Monday, June 24, Mayers is anticipated to join the Caribbean team. In an international career that began in November 2020, the southpaw has participated in 18 Tests, 28 ODIs, and 37 T20Is. Mayers has scored 727 runs in the game’s shortest format, with an average of 21.38 and a strike percentage of 140.62. He has amassed three half-centuries, 65 fours, 49 sixes, and a top score of 73.
In T20I cricket, Mayers is a decent medium pacer who hasn’t taken any wickets despite bowling on occasion. He has taken 14 wickets in One-Day Internationals and 34 in Tests, though. If West Indies captain Rovman Powell needs him, Mayers can easily toss a few overs.
The West Indies entered the Super Eight stage having defeated Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, Uganda, and New Zealand four times in a row in the first round. They were defeated by England in their first Super Eights match, but they turned things around by crushing the USA by nine wickets. In order to go to the semifinals, the two-time winners would like to defeat the Proteas in their last Super Eight match.