Shamar Joseph, Evin Lewis return for Afghanistan T20Is
Quentin Sampson has earned a maiden international call-up for the series starting January 19
ESPNcricinfo staff
13-Jan-2026 • 2 hrs ago
Shamar Joseph has not played competitive cricket since the CPL in September last year • Associated Press
Fast bowler Shamar Joseph and opener Evin Lewis are set to return to international action after being named in West Indies' 16-member squad for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in Dubai from January 19 to 22.
T20I captain Shai Hope was unavailable due to commitments in the ongoing SA20 league, alongside Roston Chase, Akeal Hosein and Sherfane Rutherford. In Hope's absence, Brandon King will lead the side. King has prior experience captaining West Indies in the shortest format from the home series against South Africa in early 2024.
The squad also featured a new face, with Quentin Sampson earning his maiden international call-up following his standout performances in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025. He was Guyana Amazon Warriors' third-highest run-getter with 241 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 151.57. Sampson replaced Rovman Powell, who was rested along with Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd as part of workload management.
Shamar has been out of the spotlight for the last three or four months. The 26-year-old seamer was in line to return for West Indies in October last year after missing the Test tour of India with an unspecified injury. But his progress was delayed when he experienced some "discomfort in his shoulder" at training. As a result, he was sidelined from the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in Dhaka despite being with the squad.
Shamar has not played competitive cricket since the CPL ended in September. He featured in five of Guyana Amazon Warriors' 12 matches.
Lewis, also back from injury according to a CWI release, last played for West Indies in August last year in the ODI series against Pakistan in Tarouba. In the CPL, he scored a total of 130 runs in seven innings with a strike rate of 127.45. He then featured in the Abu Dhabi T10 in November, accumulating 110 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 146.66.
While Shamar and Lewis returned, fast bowler Alzarri Joseph was not included as he continued his recovery from an injury sustained late in 2025. CWI said in release that he has shown "encouraging progress" but will remain under medical assessment before any decision is made regarding T20 World Cup selection.
The Afghanistan series formed a key part of West Indies' build-up to the global tournament, with their squad set to be announced ahead of a home T20I series against South Africa scheduled for January 27 to 31.
"The opportunity to play competitive matches in subcontinental conditions is ideal, as it assists with our preparations and confidence building ahead of what will be a competitive T20 World Cup," head coach Darren Sammy said. "It also presents a valuable platform to assess players who missed significant time towards the end of 2025, as well as those stepping into important roles for this series."
The West Indies squad was scheduled to depart the Caribbean on January 14 and arrive in the UAE on January 16.