T20 World Cup debacle ‘hurt’, says ILT20-bound Lewis

LONDON, England (CMC):

Opener Evin Lewis has spoken of his “hurt” over West Indies’ shock early exit from last year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia but says he has recovered with the help of family and was now in a “good space”.

West Indies, two-time former champions, lost two of their three qualifying-round matches to Ireland and Scotland to miss out on the Super12 main draw for the first time in the tournament’s history.

The 31-year-old Lewis managed only 42 runs from his three innings as none of the Caribbean side’s batting group tallied above 100 runs.

“Yeah, it (the T20 World Cup) was a tough pill to swallow, to be honest,” the left-hander told noted cricket website ESPNcricinfo.

“I had the help of my family, which was the most important thing. When I came home, I tried not to dwell on it too much. These things can actually hurt you a lot if you go too deep into it.

“So I had to give that responsibility to my family and the support that they’ve been giving me since I reached home … . I’m very thankful for that.

“I think I’m in a good space now – both fitness-wise and mentally. I’m happy with the way I’m going about my cricket at the moment.”

Prior to the tournament, Lewis had not turned out for West Indies in nearly a year – since the last T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

He was a surprise pick in the squad after suddenly declaring his availability to selectors, and was one of the most senior players in an otherwise inexperienced batting group.

Having recovered from recent injury, Lewis will turn out for Sharjah Warriors in the International League T20 (ILT20) starting later this month in the United Arab Emirates and says he was looking forward to the experience.

“I think Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah – all these are pretty good wickets for batsmen. I think, as batsmen, we have to make the best use of it,” he pointed out.

“I haven’t played much T20 cricket in UAE, but I think the T10 has actually helped me a lot and how to go about my innings.

“You don’t have much time in T10, like in T20, but you always need to get a good start for the team, which is important.”

Lewis also said a major drawing card for the ILT20 would be playing alongside 21-year-old Afghan batting star Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who featured recently in the Caribbean Premier League.

“I’m looking forward to batting with him,” Lewis said.

“He’s actually a great guy, and as everyone knows, he’s a very aggressive batsman and probably someone who can take a bit of pressure off you opening the batting. So I’m looking forward to opening with him.

“I see a bit of myself in him as he’s a guy who looks to get on with the game and tries to score as fast as possible in the powerplay to give the team a good start. So I think that’s something teams look forward to as an opening batsman.”