Having been a part of the Test squad that was swept 3-0, West Indies white-ball captain Shai Hope says the five-match T20 series against Australia offers more than just another chance to compete, as it is also an opportunity to reset, rebuild, and remind the cricketing world of what the Caribbean men are capable of.
With the bruising Test series defeat to the Aussies still fresh in his mind, Hope is acutely aware of what is at stake. And as he prepares to lead his side into battle, beginning with the opening two matches at Sabina Park, the captain is banking on experience, chemistry, and the energy of familiar surroundings to spark a turnaround.
"There’s a lot to look forward to. We’ve had a very challenging year, especially with white-ball cricket, and then coming off that Test series loss as well, we’re trying to turn things around. We’ve got a lot of experienced guys in the group, so it’s great to have them around, and hopefully we can start the series well," Hope told Cricket West Indies (CWI) media on Saturday.
Though the West Indies’ T20 outfit was far from full strength at the time of his pre-match interview—with some players joining from other commitments—Hope views the circumstances not as a hindrance, but as a hidden advantage.
"Every time you're playing cricket, any opportunity you get to showcase the skills and keep learning and keep learning as a group is very important. Most of the guys have been playing together, even though we're not here in Jamaica together, but those same guys, we understand each other's game, we understand each other's personality. So we're going to just lean on each other going forward. I think the cricket that they've been playing in Guyana, they will take those things into this series," Hope shared.
The Windies, especially in the shorter formats, have long prided themselves on making home advantage count, and Hope is urging his team to maintain that tradition, starting with game one.
"We tend to defend home court really well, something that we've been doing for quite some time in 50-over and T20 cricket. So it is something to look forward to. The guys have really been putting in the hard work, and everyone's had the experience that I spoke about earlier, so there's a lot to look forward to for the rest of the season as well, leading into that 2026 World Cup," he noted.
The fact that Andre Russell will be playing his final T20s for West Indies in front of his home crowd in Jamaica adds another emotional layer to the series. While Hope admits he would have liked to have the dynamic all-rounder around longer, he knows Russell’s legacy is already cemented.
"He’s a stalwart of T20 cricket. Whenever you talk about the format, his name has to be there. He has certainly shared a lot of his knowledge, especially in the T20 format, and we’re going to miss him quite a lot. He has done a lot for West Indies cricket, winning two World Cups for us. So we want to send him off on a good note. Hopefully, we could win those first two games and give them a great send-off here in Jamaica," Hope declared.
Still, sentiment must coexist with strategy, and Hope knows the Australians, ranked second in the world, pose a serious threat, even with a different makeup from the Test squad.
"They’ve shown why they’re ranked where they are. It is important for us to raise our game, especially coming off of that tough loss in the Test series. We've got to ensure that we cover our bases and look from within more so than the opposition to start. But we know what they're capable of, and we will not take anything lightly," the Barbadian said.
"Yes, we've been successful on our home court for quite some series now, but that doesn't mean that we're going to be guaranteed a win. So we have to make sure we play our best cricket, start the series well, and hopefully can finish even better," he ended.