The West Indies are gearing up for a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, and they have announced a strong 15-member squad for this tour. The selection panel dropped their star spin-all-rounder Gudakesh Motie from this tour because of his recent poor performances. In a boost for the West Indies team, bowling all-rounder Matthew Forde is set to return to the side after recovering from an injury. Forde, who hasn’t featured in any international cricket match since July, is coming after completing his rehab from a shoulder injury. With the pace bowling duo Ramon Simmons and Jediah Blades out of this tour due to injury, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has added Shamar Springer to strengthen their fast bowling lineup. Springer has featured in just T20I matches in his career so far, scalping two wickets to date. CWI dropped Gudakesh Motie for this tour, citing a ‘recent dip in form’ linked to a technical issue with his bowling action. In three matches against Bangladesh on the last tour, he took three wickets at an economy of 5.79 and a bowling strike rate of 42, which is obviously not an impressive benchmark for the selection. Also Read: New Zealand names T20I squad as Williamson exits format The 30-year-old spinner will work with specialists from the Royals Sports Group to address those concerns ahead of the SA20 in December, where he will represent the Paarl Royals. CWI feels that Motie is a crucial part of their T20I squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup scheduled to take place next year in February-March. Shai Hope will lead the team in the series after successfully leading the side to the T20I victory over Bangladesh last month. The batting lineup comprises Alick Athanaze, Rovman Powell, and Sherfane Rutherford. In the all-rounder department, Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd have retained their places, while Akeal Hosein and Khary Pierre will take care of the spin. The five-match T20I series will kick off on November 5 at Auckland's Eden Park, followed by the second match at the same venue on the following day. The third and fourth matches will take place at Nelson's Saxton Oval on November 9 and 10, before heading to Dunedin's University Oval on November 13 for the final match of the series. West Indies T20I Squad Against New Zealand Shai Hope (c), Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Amir Jangoo, Brandon King, Khary Pierre, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Shamar Springer