Akeal Hosein named as a replacement for injured Fabian Allen in the West Indies squad for T20 World Cup

Defending Champions West Indies have suffered a setback of sorts as bowling all-rounder Fabian Allen has been ruled out of the 2021 T20 World Cup due to an ankle injury. The technical committee for the T20 World Cup has said Akeal Hosein has been named as a replacement for Fabian Allen in the 15-man squad.

Allen has been a regular for West Indies in the T20 format and played T20 series against South Africa and Australia. On the other hand, Akeal Hosein has been a consistent performer for his franchise in the Caribbean Premier League. Initially, Akeal Hosein was named as a reserve player for the showpiece event. With Fabian Allen injured, Hosein was the most likely candidate to replace him in the squad.

In this year’s Caribbean Premier League, Akeal Hosein bowled exceedingly well and was the most economical on display. He formed a lethal combination with Sunil Narine for Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL. He finished the competition with 13 wickets to his name. His recent T20 appearance for West Indies came against Pakistan in the only T20I played in Guyana.

Akeal Hosein has played 59 T20I matches, in which he has taken 39 wickets at an average of 25.89. He has excellent economy rate of 6.33 in the shortest format of the game. The 28-year old will be looking to make an impact with the bat and ball for West Indies in his first T20 World Cup competition.

With Hosein moved to the main squad, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has been named as reserve player by West Indies Cricket Board. Every team in this year’s T20 World Cup has named their reserve players in case of any injury or covid-19 related issues. Uncapped Gudakesh Motie, who showed excellent form for Guyana in this year’s Caribbean Premier League.

Besides Akeal Hosein, Hayden Walsh Jr. and Roston Chase are prominent spin bowling options for West Indies for this T20 World Cup.