Shai Hope: SA series part of World Cup qualifying prep

NEW West Indies One-Day International captain Shai Hope said the team must start improving in all aspects of the game as they try to build momentum ahead of the 2023 ICC World Cup 50-over qualifiers later this year.

West Indies will begin a three-match ODI series against South Africa on Thursday in East London, from 7 am TT time. Hope was named as the new ODI captain last month replacing Nicholas Pooran, who was both the ODI and T20 skipper but stepped down from both positions after the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022.

“First thing I need to do is take it step by step,” Hope said in a media conference on Wednesday. “It is a new journey, but I can’t look too far ahead. Yes, we know the qualifiers are down the road, but the main focus now is the South Africa series. The key is for them to start well and hopefully, they can finish better.”

West Indies will compete in the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe from June 18 to July 9 in an effort to seal a spot at the 2023 World Cup which will be held in India in October and November.

“We need to improve in all areas. I don’t think there is anything specific we need to highlight right now. I just think we need to come together and find the right formula and get that going because we definitely need to qualify for that World Cup. Everything we need to do now is geared towards that.”

Last month, Rovman Powell was named the new T20 captain. As a result, West Indies now have a different captain for each format as Kraigg Brathwaite is still the Test captain.

Speaking about having three captains, Hope said, “I think it gives us (captains) the opportunity to focus on something more specific, something to build on.”

Prior to the ODI series, South Africa won a two-match Test series 2-0.