Cricket West Indies has finalized its 15-player squad for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup, announcing on Thursday the retention of Ebony Brathwaite and Ashmini Munisar, both of whom are currently featuring in the ongoing tri-series involving Pakistan and Ireland.

The squad will be led by Hayley Matthews, with Chinelle Henry serving as her deputy. The selection emphasizes the team's focus on maintaining aggressive scoring rates throughout the innings, adaptability to both seam and spin bowling, and consistent execution under pressure in varying conditions across England and Wales.

Speaking about the team selection, head coach Shane Deitz emphasized the importance of powerplay batting: "We know that in these conditions, strong powerplay batting and sustained scoring through the middle overs will be critical to winning games. Our analysis showed that when we score positively in the powerplay, particularly getting beyond that 45-run mark, we give ourselves a much stronger opportunity to control matches. Alternatively with the ball, we need to restrict boundaries in the power play and throughout the innings."

Deitz further elaborated on the squad composition: "We've therefore selected a group with flexibility at the top of the order, players who can handle both pace and spin effectively, and importantly, batters capable of maintaining intent regardless of wickets lost, along with ensuring depth in the batting so we can continue attacking deep into the innings. We also wanted bowlers who can attack when necessary but also quickly shift into defensive modes and execute under pressure at every stage of the innings."

Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe highlighted the deliberate preparation approach: "We have been very deliberate in how we structured the team's preparation for this tournament. The camp in Wales was designed to immerse the players in conditions similar to what they will experience throughout the World Cup, allowing them to fine-tune both their technical execution and tactical awareness in that environment. Equally important was creating opportunities for the group to build cohesion, confidence and consistency together over an extended period."

The Squad: Hayley Matthews (c), Chinelle Henry (vc), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Jahzara Claxton, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Jannillea Glasgow, Shawnisha Hector, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Stafanie Taylor

West Indies, placed in Group B, will kickstart their World Cup campaign in Southampton against New Zealand on June 13. Their subsequent matches include:

• June 18: vs Scotland in Leeds
• June 21: vs Sri Lanka in Bristol
• June 24: vs England at Lord's
• June 27: vs Ireland in Bristol

As part of their preparation, West Indies will play warm-up matches against India in Cardiff and Australia in Derby ahead of the tournament.