Kyle Mayers. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved all-rounder Kyle Mayers as the replacement of opener Brandon King in the West Indies’ squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup.
King suffered a side strain while batting during the West Indies’ first Super Eight fixture against England. The injury forced him to retire out when he was looking in great rhythm, batting on 23 off just 13 balls. King missed the West Indies’ subsequent encounter against the USA on Saturday, June 22, as Shai Hope replaced him in the playing XI. King’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign ended with a tally of 86 runs from five matches.
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Mayers is expected to join the Caribbean squad ahead of West Indies’ last match in the Super Eight stage against South Africa on Monday, June 24. The southpaw has the experience of playing 18 Tests, 28 ODIs, and 37 T20Is in an international career that started in November 2020. In the shortest format of the game, Mayers has scored 727 runs at an average of 21.38 and a strike rate of 140.62. He has hit 65 fours and 49 sixes and registered three half-centuries, with a highest score of 73.
Mayers is also a handy medium pacer, who has bowled occasionally in T20I cricket but hasn’t picked up a wicket. However, he has 34 wickets to his name in Tests and 14 in ODIs. Mayers can bowl a couple of overs easily if needed by West Indies captain Rovman Powell.
The West Indies came into the Super Eight stage on the back of four consecutive wins in the first round against Papua New Guinea, Uganda, New Zealand, and Afghanistan. They suffered a defeat against England in their opening clash in the Super Eights but bounced back with an emphatic win by nine wickets against the USA. The two-time champions would want to win their final Super Eight clash against the Proteas and make an attempt to reach the semifinals.