The 2026 edition of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is all set to get underway on February 7. The global showpiece, featuring 20 teams, will be played across five venues in India and three in Sri Lanka.

Two days ahead of the tournament, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his disappointment as the West Indies failed to bring back Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine from retirement.

Narine called time on his international career in 2023 while Pooran hung his boots in 2025. Both players are still active in franchise T20 leagues.

"I am very disappointed that the West Indies did not pick Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine in their squad for this World Cup. You need to sit across the table from them, talk to them, and bring them to the World Cup. How can you leave Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine out and go into a World Cup without them?" Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"I am a big fan of the West Indies. They have a lot of ability. But the way they plan and sometimes even the infrastructure in the West Indies leaves me with my mouth open. I think West Indies cricket has a high ceiling and huge potential, but they really need to re-look at the way they approach and plan for World Cups," he added.

The two-time champions have lost more matches than they have won since their Super Eight exit from the T20 World Cup 2024 but they enter the marquee event with quite a few positives, including the evolution of their skipper Shai Hope into a well-rounded T20 batter.

Since the last T20 World Cup, the Caribbean side has won just 14 of 43 matches, losing 27, with two ending in no result.

The West Indies are placed in Group C alongside England, Nepal, Scotland, and Italy. They will begin their campaign against Scotland on February 7 in Kolkata.

(With ANI Inputs)