The world of T20 cricket is rapidly evolving with new franchise leagues opening up fresh windows for corporates and top players from around the world. From January 13, 2023, UAE will present it’s own T20 league in International League T20 with the final of the tournament scheduled on February 12.
As ILT20 gears up to kickstart its inaugural edition, hard-hitting West Indies batter Evin Lewis, who will participate in the tournament for Sharjah Warriors, spoke to Revsportz in an exclusive interview where he talked about a range of things starting from the prospect of ILT20, Sharjah Warriors squad, his aim to return to the Windies squad while also picking his best T20 XI and much more.
Excerpts:
Subhayan Chakraborty: How excited are you about playing for Sharjah Warriors in ILT20?
Evin Lewis: I’m very happy and excited. You know can’t wait to meet the guys in January guys and get going with cricket. So yeah, I’m very excited about it.
Is the best of Evin Lewis yet to come?
Evin Lewis: I still have some more fuel in the tank, to be honest. I was looking for a great, great year, sure. Better than 2021. So, next year is the target.
Do you think the smaller ground dimensions of Sharjah Stadium will be a bonus for batters?
Evin Lewis: I’m looking forward to it. As you said the ground dimensions of Sharjah Stadium are pretty small, but at the same time, you don’t want to get carried away. In Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, there are pretty good wickets for batsmen. So yeah, I think the batsmen are going to enjoy the tournament this year.
With so many T20 leagues happening, do you think it is a great opportunity for players from smaller cricketing nations to showcase their talents?
Evin Lewis: Yes, actually good. Sometimes we might play against certain guys and order in international cricket but you will actually get to share the same dressing room with them here. So I think this is actually a good stepping stone for a lot of guys to actually showcase their talent and also show the world that they are capable of playing T20 tournaments. I think it is a great stepping stone.
Are you keeping an eye on a comeback to the West Indies team for the 2023 ODI World Cup?
Evin Lewis: Yeah, definitely if I get selected to be honest. I haven’t played a lot of 50-over cricket for a while but it’s something that I never actually turned my back on. I want to play as much as possible.
Evin Lewis Interview: ‘My best will come for Sharjah Warriors’.
RevSportz Exclusive with Subhayan Chakraborty.
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