Yannic Cariah, the surprise pick in West Indies T20I squad for World Cup 2022, impresses on debut - All you need to know

Yannic, a left-arm batter who bowls leg break, made his international debut last month in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in Bridgetown. In that series, his exploits were three wickets and a fifty.

Yannic Cariah unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of New Zealand’s James Neesham during the third ODI at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. (File Photo)  | Photo Credit: AP

On Tuesday, when West Indies announced its 15-member squad for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, Yannic Cariah, an all-rounder, was a surprise pick.

Who is Yannic Cariah?

Cariah, who played his last T20 in 2016, made his debut against Australia in the first T20I on Wednesday. The West Indian bowled an economical spell and returned with figures of 4-0-15-1. Bowling on his debut, Cariah dismissed the big-hitting Glenn Maxwell in his very first over. 

Yannic Cariah’s latest performances

The 30-year-old, a left-arm batter who bowls leg break, made his international debut last month in the three-match ODI series against New Zealand in Bridgetown. In that series, his exploits were three wickets haul and a half-century.

In the second ODI, in a crunch situation, when West Indies suffered a collapse, Cariah, coming at number eight, scored a gritty 84-ball 52 only to see his team losing in the Duckworth Lewis method in a rain-affected match. During that innings, he also shared an 85-run ninth-wicket partnership with Alzarri Joseph.

In the series-deciding third ODI, he dismissed Devon Conway, again, trapping him in front, but West Indies lost the match and the series 2-1.

But what made his selection for the all-important T20 World Cup, which West Indies won twice, an element of surprise is he has not played any T20 prior to his selection in the last five years.

His T20I debut came only on Wednesday against Australia in the first game of a two-match series at Carrara Oval, Queensland. He contributed with the wicket of Glenn Maxwell, but West Indies lost the match by three wickets.

Cariah, who made his T20 debut in 2013, last played a T20 in 2016 when he appeared for Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL.

However, as a youngster, he would rise through the West Indies ranks before slipping to domestic cricket. Playing in the 2010 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Cariah ended the tournament as West Indies' second-highest wicket-taker with eight wickets in six matches.

Two players from that team, Jason Holder and Kraigg Brathwaite, went on to represent the West Indies senior men's team in international cricket.

In recent years, Cariah shone for Trinidad in West Indies domestic cricket, which helped him get a maiden call for his ODI debut. He had also captained the West Indies Emerging Team to its maiden Super 50 title in 2019.