Guyanese left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie has been dropped from West Indies' 15-man squad for their five-match T20 series away to New Zealand from November 5-12 because of a dip in form, a November 2 release from Cricket West Indies (CWI) said.
The CWI release said it's not quite the end of the road for the 30-year-old Motie, as the wily spinner is expected to work with specialists through collaboration with the Royal Sports Group, owners of the South African franchise Paarl Royals. Motie will be a member of the Royals team which will compete in the SA20 tournament from December 26-January 25. The release said this current move will be vital in getting Motie back to his best as he remains part of West Indies' plans ahead of the 2026 International Cricket Council T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
"Left-arm spinner, Gudakesh Motie, will also miss the series following a recent dip in form attributed primarily to a technical issue with his action. With conditions in New Zealand not expected to be as conducive to spin bowling, the opportunity will be taken for him to work with specialists," the CWI release said, suggesting the off-field work will rebuild Motie's confidence.
Since making his T20 debut for the regional team in 2021, Motie has played 85 matches across all formats with 40 of those coming in T20s. He has so far taken 36 T20 wickets at an economy of 7.96, to go along with 35 Test and 42 One-Day International (ODI) wickets. Motie played the solitary game in the Windies' 3-0 T20 series victory over Bangladesh, conceding 11 runs in his lone over.
Meanwhile, in the preceding ODI series against Bangladesh, Motie took four wickets at an economy of 5.79 across the three matches in a series West Indies eventually lost 2-1.
Motie's omission aside, the regional team will also be without the injured pair of Jediah Blades and Ramon Simmonds, both left-arm pacers. Guyanese quick Shamar Joseph was sidelined by injury before West Indies' tour to Bangladesh.
West Indies will be skippered by wicket-keeper/batsman Shai Hope, with Test captain Roston Chase and former captains Jason Holder and Rovman Powell among the more notable names in the line-up. The opening pair of Alick Athanaze and Brandon King also retain their places in the lienup, alongside struggling middle-order batsman Sherfane Rutherford who made golden ducks in his two T20s against Bangladesh to follow scores of 0, 7 and 12 in the preceding ODIs.
In the absence of Motie, the Trinidadian left-arm spin pair of Akeal Hosein and Khary Pierre will be expected to shoulder the burden in the spin-bowling department, while the allround pair of Matthew Forde and Shamar Springer have been drafted in to bolster the pace lineup which will be headed by Jayden Seales and Romario Shepherd.
Shepherd won the Player of the Series award in the T20 sweep over Bangladesh and even got a hat-trick in the final game of the series on October 31 as the regional team cruised to a five-wicket victory. He took seven wickets in the series in total and also copped the Man of the Match award for a three-wicket haul in the second T20.
Starting with the New Zealand T20 series, the Windies camp will be aided by the presence of clinical psychologist Krisnan Hurdle, who will join coach Daren Sammy's setup as a mental skills and performance coach.
CWI's director of cricket Miles Bascombe said Hurdles's appointment was one of the immediate action items coming out of the emergency Cricket Strategy and Officiating Committee meeting held in August.
"The addition of a mental skills and performance coach reflects our commitment to developing the complete cricketer," Bascombe said. "At the elite level, success is as much about mindset and composure as it is about technical ability. Strengthening this area ensures that our players are provided with the necessary non-technical support geared towards equipping them to manage pressure and maintain focus."
The first two T20s versus New Zealand will be played at Eden Park in Auckland (November 5 and 6). The third and fourth T20s will be played on November 8 and 9 at Saxton Oval in Nelson, with the fifth and final T20 being played on November 12 in Dunedin.
West Indies T20 team to face New Zealand:
Shai Hope, (captain), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Brandon King, Khary Pierre, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer.
Technical staff: Daren Sammy (head coach), Floyd Reifer (batting assistant coach), Ravi Rampaul (bowling assistant coach), Rayon Griffith (fielding assistant coach), Rawl Lewis (manager), Fitzbert Alleyne (massage therapist), Darc Browne (strength and conditioning coach), Dr Denis Byam (physiotherapist), Krisnan Hurdle (mental skills/performance coach), Avenesh Seetaram (performance analyst), Jerome Foster (content and media officer).