West Indies A will be captained by Alick Athanaze in a three-match T20 series against England Lions, while Keacy Carty has been named captain for the five-match one-day series. The eight-match white ball series will take place in St Kitts and Nevis from November 1 to November 16 2026.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced the squads on October 26. Thirteen players have been named in the T20 squad and fifteen for the one-day series. The series will allow selectors to get an insight into new talent available in the two formats of the game. The series will also be an opportunity to prepare for upcoming ICC tournaments.

West Indies A targets the 2027 World Cup Qualifier and the 2028 T20 World Cup

The one-day series against England Lions will play a major role in West Indies' preparations for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier starting in February 2027, as the regional side look to qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The five one-day matches will give West Indies' fringe players a chance to impress for a spot in the squad.

“We went into choosing the one-day squad bearing in mind that we have the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier to play in February so the priority was to get the best players for that.

We've got the World Cup in October 2027, but these five games against England A (Lions) are a great chance for our fringe players to push their claims,” ​​CWI said in a statement via ESPNcricinfo.

West Indies have already qualified for the 2028 ICC Men's T20 World Cup after progressing to the Super Eight stages of the 2026 tournament. But the T20s against England Lions will provide them with an early look.

Kevin Wickham was originally in contention for inclusion in the one-day squad, but was promoted to the Test squad for Bangladesh.

This allowed Rivaldo Clarke, from the West Indies Academy, to be included in the 15-man squad.

Athanaze, Vitel Lawes, Jewel Andrew, Kevlon Anderson, Jediah Blades, Kirk McKenzie, Shamar Springer and Oshane Thomas all have experience of playing internationally. Mikyle Lewis will also come into the squad as a development player so he can improve his white-ball game as a top-order batter.

West Indies A head coach Ottis Gibson, will be in charge of the squad. CWI want to find players who are on the verge of earning senior international opportunities.

“We're looking at the qualifier in February as the most important task of this 50-over year.

We want to win it and carry that form forward into the World Cup in October. As such, these one-day matches are very important for us to select the right players. The T20s are the start of that process for 2028,” said CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe.

Gibson has been given the mission to give players clarity on their roles, see if they are ready for international cricket and see what improvements they can make.

T20 series will aid finding future West Indies stars

West Indies have already qualified for the 2028 ICC Men's T20 World Cup after reaching the Super Eight stages of the 2026 event.

The three T20 games against England Lions will allow the selectors to see who could be possible options.

Vitel Lawes, Jewel Andrew, Quentin Sampson and Kamil Pooran have all earned international debuts so far and will be in the 13-man squad. This will give them and other emerging stars a chance to push their claims further.

Thomas Rew will captain England Lions in the T20 games, whilst Dan Lawrence leads the side in the one-day series.

West Indies A – T20 squad

Alick Athanaze (c), Jewel Andrew, Zachary Carter, Shadrack Descarte, Keon Gaston, Karima Gore, Joshua James, Vitel Lawes, Zishan Motara, Jakeem Pollard, Kamil Pooran, Quentin Sampson, Stewart Thompson.

West Indies A – One Day squad

Keacy Carty (c), Kevlon Anderson, Jewel Andrew, Alick Athanaze, Jediah Blades, Rivaldo Clarke, Shadrack Descarte, Jyd Goolie, Vitel Lawes, Kirk McKenzie, Micah McKenzie, Shaqkere Parris, Jakeem Pollard, Shamar Springer, Oshane Thomas.