Gray has T20 doubts

...former West Indies quick questions Andrew, Sampson picks

Tony Gray is questioning two selections in the West Indies T20 International squad for the upcoming five-match series in India. On Saturday, Cricket West Indies announced two 15-man squads for One-Day International (September 27-October 3) and T20I series (October 6-17) on the subcontinent. Included in both teams was former WI Under-19 batter Jewel Andrew, while Quentin Sampson of the Guyana Amazon Warriors was named to the T20I squad.

But former West Indies fast bowler and scout Gray is taking issue with the inclusion of Andrew and Sampson in the T20 team. In fact, when he played this year in the truncated (WI four-day) tournament, he failed dramatically. So I wouldn’t put him in the T20,” explained Gray. Andrew scored 66 runs in four innings for the St Lucia Kings in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament. And Gray contended: “If you are looking to the future where he’s concerned, he has to play the longer version of the game. I would put him more in the One-Day game because batsmen, to me, the probability of them performing well, especially in the early stages of their career in the One-Day game is greater than in any other format because of different reasons... So when it comes to Jewel Andrew, I think he should not be playing the T20 format.”

In the case of big-hitter Sampson, Gray said the player had much to prove still. “Obviously he has some good hard-hitting ability, but we must not be mesmerized by the aesthetically pleasing shots, we want to see total batsmanship because the T20 game has evolved and I’m not sure that I would have picked him at this point because he has a long way to go,” Gray said. “He has not shown me enough to pick him for that team.” He noted further: “Daren Sammy has picked him for the World Cup, he didn’t play a game. And the series that preceded that, he didn’t play also, so why he’s back on the West Indies team after not a great performance at CPL level?”

Gray also felt former T20I skipper Rovman Powell could have been considered. “I think he could play the One-Day game still,” he said.

@sgtdjones wrote:

Gray has T20 doubts

...former West Indies quick questions Andrew, Sampson picks

Tony Gray is questioning two selections in the West Indies T20 International squad for the upcoming five-match series in India. On Saturday, Cricket West Indies announced two 15-man squads for One-Day International (September 27-October 3) and T20I series (October 6-17) on the subcontinent. Included in both teams was former WI Under-19 batter Jewel Andrew, while Quentin Sampson of the Guyana Amazon Warriors was named to the T20I squad.

But former West Indies fast bowler and scout Gray is taking issue with the inclusion of Andrew and Sampson in the T20 team. In fact, when he played this year in the truncated (WI four-day) tournament, he failed dramatically. So I wouldn’t put him in the T20,” explained Gray. Andrew scored 66 runs in four innings for the St Lucia Kings in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament. And Gray contended: “If you are looking to the future where he’s concerned, he has to play the longer version of the game. I would put him more in the One-Day game because batsmen, to me, the probability of them performing well, especially in the early stages of their career in the One-Day game is greater than in any other format because of different reasons... So when it comes to Jewel Andrew, I think he should not be playing the T20 format.”

In the case of big-hitter Sampson, Gray said the player had much to prove still. “Obviously he has some good hard-hitting ability, but we must not be mesmerized by the aesthetically pleasing shots, we want to see total batsmanship because the T20 game has evolved and I’m not sure that I would have picked him at this point because he has a long way to go,” Gray said. “He has not shown me enough to pick him for that team.” He noted further: “Daren Sammy has picked him for the World Cup, he didn’t play a game. And the series that preceded that, he didn’t play also, so why he’s back on the West Indies team after not a great performance at CPL level?”

Gray also felt former T20I skipper Rovman Powell could have been considered. “I think he could play the One-Day game still,” he said.

Pooran & Sampson have been picked after playing just one CPL everything is in doubt!!!

I agree with Gray on both selections

Cappo Hope endorsed Sampson after the 2025 CPL when they both opened for GAW.

Sampson did play 3 T20Is in Jan2026. The WC was in Feb 2026. [DO YOUR HOMEWORK GRAY]

After the success in 2025 CPL as an opener, Sampson batted in the middle order in 2026. Why?

we must not be mesmerized by the aesthetically pleasing shots, we want to see total batsmanship because the T20 game has evolved 

True but where in the west indies are we going to find some of these?

@sgtdjones

Powell is dead weight. Give the younger ones, in the likes of Andrew and Sampson exposure to develop.

@Edrich wrote:

Powell is dead weight. Give the younger ones, in the likes of Andrew and Sampson exposure to develop.

Years ago we had a well-liked poster from the islands (sorry, I can't recall his handle) who hated Gayle with a passion. His claim was that upon arrival on each of the islands, Gayle would immediately consult his address-book so he could 'look-up' the local ladies (/acquaintances).

Some might agree that was reason (or excuse) enough for the hatred. This leads me to ask, what is your reason (or excuse) for hating on Powell?

@Drapsey wrote

LOL

@Drapsey wrote:

Years ago we had a well-liked poster from the islands (sorry, I can't recall his handle) who hated Gayle with a passion. His claim was that upon arrival on each of the islands, Gayle would immediately consult his address-book so he could 'look-up' the local ladies (/acquaintances).

Some might agree that was reason (or excuse) enough for the hatred. This leads me to ask, what is your reason (or excuse) for hating on Powell?

This is the highest form of mendacity from you. I made reference to the address book of Sarwan on girls in all Caribbean countries.

Which Caribbean Girl apart from Jamaicans would give Gayle a second look.

My beef with Gayle was all his machinations to the WICB and his physiotherapist to evade playing for West Indies and head off to IPL Some sane, analytical or enlightened minds here were saying at the time that granting Gayle an NOC in the face of medical leave and a pending tour by West Indies would seriously disrupt our cricket and would set a dangerous precedence.

So NO...Gayle cannot attract any non-Jamaican girl. This man is Sarwan.

You bloody liar.

Now look what I have done. I have dignified your daily tedium here in the guise of sarcasm with a response.

@Courtesy wrote:

My beef with Gayle was all his machinations to the WICB and his physiotherapist to evade playing for West Indies and head off to IPL Some sane, analytical or enlightened minds here were saying at the time that granting Gayle an NOC in the face of medical leave and a pending tour by West Indies would seriously disrupt our cricket and would set a dangerous precedence.

a group of petite megalomaniacs will always have an issue when players stand up for themselves.....when you schedule a tour that was NOT on the FTP, simply to bail out the ECB who had foolishly scheduled a test series in the middle of the ipl as preparation for the ashes, that was a dangerous precedent....and of course the SLC were forced to bail out because 6 of their starting XI got IPL contracts which dwarfed whatever the tour fee was for that England visit. Five of the starting xi for the home England series of 2009, our first Wisden trophy win in 11 years, also received ipl contracts for that year, again with sums dwarfing whatever they would have received for a hurry done return tour of england that was NOT on the FTP

@Courtesy wrote:

Which Caribbean Girl apart from Jamaicans would give Gayle a second look.

Wait, yuh forgetting the Stanford car-park incident?

Actually Courtesy, I wasn't talking about you. There was another poster who made the referenced comment.

@Jumpstart wrote:

a group of petite megalomaniacs will always have an issue when players stand up for themselves.....when you schedule a tour that was NOT on the FTP, simply to bail out the ECB who had foolishly scheduled a test series in the middle of the ipl as preparation for the ashes, that was a dangerous precedent....and of course the SLC were forced to bail out because 6 of their starting XI got IPL contracts which dwarfed whatever the tour fee was for that England visit. Five of the starting xi for the home England series of 2009, our first Wisden trophy win in 11 years, also received ipl contracts for that year, again with sums dwarfing whatever they would have received for a hurry done return tour of england that was NOT on the FTP

You have time.

@Jumpstart wrote:

a group of petite megalomaniacs will always have an issue when players stand up for themselves.....when you schedule a tour that was NOT on the FTP, simply to bail out the ECB who had foolishly scheduled a test series in the middle of the ipl as preparation for the ashes, that was a dangerous precedent....and of course the SLC were forced to bail out because 6 of their starting XI got IPL contracts which dwarfed whatever the tour fee was for that England visit. Five of the starting xi for the home England series of 2009, our first Wisden trophy win in 11 years, also received ipl contracts for that year, again with sums dwarfing whatever they would have received for a hurry done return tour of england that was NOT on the FTP

As usual you are pulling stuff from your ass. The first IPL which I referenced was in 2008. The unscheduled England tour was in 2009.

Gayle's NOC saga with the WICB had absolutely nothing to do with an unscheduled tour of England in 2009. And you damn well know I have aseries of letters showing the exchanges between Gayle and the then WICB to prove this.

Please don't opine on something simply to mislead the uninformed here.

@Drapsey wrote:

Wait, yuh forgetting the Stanford car-park incident?

Actually Courtesy, I wasn't talking about you. There was another poster who made the referenced comment.

Can you jog your memory to unearth the poster who made the claim about "Gayle pulling out his address book...?"

I am very much interested in this development..

@Courtesy wrote:

As usual you are pulling stuff from your ass. The first IPL which I referenced was in 2008. The unscheduled England tour was in 2009.

IT WAS THE ENGLAND SERIES THAT CAUSED THE EXPLOSION THAT RUINED THE TEAM YUH DUNCE. Gayle played in the Australia series in 2008, and he led the team to the first drawn series in NZ in 13 years later that year, followed by the first test series victory over England in 11 years, all ruined by a series that the petite megalomaniacs running the then WICB organized because Sri lanka said their best team was contracted to the ipl

@Jumpstart wrote:

IT WAS THE ENGLAND SERIES THAT CAUSED THE EXPLOSION THAT RUINED THE TEAM YUH DUNCE. Gayle played in the Australia series in 2008, and he led the team to the first drawn series in NZ in 13 years later that year, followed by the first test series victory over England in 11 years, all ruined by a series that the petite megalomaniacs running the then WICB organized because Sri lanka said their best team was contracted to the ipl

How does your piece of obfuscation square up with my first postt on the matter in response to poster Drapsey? The issues are dichotomous. This is not as complicated as you make it out to be...well err!! unless your motive is to deceive..