West Indies have picked three-match old Quentin Sampson for the 2026 T20 World Cup, while ignoring Evin Lewis from the squad. Here are the possible reasons why.
The West Indies announced their 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup on Monday. Led by Shai Hope, the team has a mix of experience and youth, with the likes of Jason Holder and Johnson Charles also being a part of the victorious campaign in 2016.
The biggest surprise was the selection of Sampson, who made his T20I debut barely a week ago, against Afghanistan.
Why did the West Indies pick Quentin Sampson in their T20 World Cup squad?
In three games against Afghanistan, Sampson scored 35 runs at an average of 11.66 with a strike rate of 100. He was the side’s leading run-scorer in the first T20I, making 30 in 24 balls while chasing 182. Batting at No.6, he struck two fours and two sixes – both off Rashid Khan in the space of three balls – but was unable to see his team through. He followed it up with two single-digit scores.
Sampson was picked in the West Indies’ T20I squad for Afghanistan after an impressive CPL outing last year, where he ended as Guyana Amazon Warriors’ third-highest run-getter, with 241 runs at 152. He also made his T20 debut during the competition. However, his limited appearances have impressed skipper Hope, who highlighted his clean ball-striking and his ability to adapt to different conditions as the reason for his selection.
“He's shown that he's had a lot of promise from the first few games that he played in CPL," Hope said. “[He is] certainly one of the cleaner ball strikers that I've seen in a long time... He also showed the ability to adapt to certain conditions, especially when there's spin involved.”
The 25-year-old averages 86 against the slower bowlers in T20s at a strike rate of 138.7, making him extremely useful in Indian conditions, especially through the middle overs. He’s also a powerful hitter off the back foot, adding depth to the batting line-up, with Hetmyer likely to slot in at No.5.
Another talking point from the squad was the exclusion of Evin Lewis, who had a T20I strike rate of 188 in 2025, albeit across only four games. Between 2024 and 2025, he played 12 matches for the West Indies, making 317 runs at a strike rate of 166. A top-order batter, he had to battle it out with Charles for a spot in the squad. Charles had a strike rate of just 107 last year, which pale when pitted against Lewis’ contribution.
The overall career numbers also reflect the contrast between batting firepower: while Lewis has a T20 strike rate of 143 after 260 matches, Charles strikes at 133 after 331 games. For the West Indies, however, his strike rate is only 129 while Lewis averages 29.01 at a strike rate of 152 for the team.
However, Charles also doubles up as the wicketkeeper, taking on the role after the retirement of Nicholas Pooran. It pushed the case in his favour, forcing Lewis to be left out.
Lewis did not take lightly to the snub, posting an animated Instagram story hinting at retirement, moments after the squad for the World Cup was announced.
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