Evin Lewis, West Indies batsman, World Cup 2019 Player Full Profile: Opener would look to make an impact on his comeback in England

Like his idol Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis hits the ball far and often. “I hit a lot of sixes, big sixes like him,” he said when asked why he picked Gayle as his mentor. Him wanting to align himself to Gayle is understandable, as the big Jamaican is probably the most explosive batsmen the game has seen. [caption id=“attachment_4390283” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Evin Lewis. ICC[/caption] Lewis’ relatively short career has featured a number of stunning innings. He scored a century in his second T20 game, the first of two the West Indies played against India in late August 2016 at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. It was a rambunctious innings, with the batsman racing to 100 off just 49 deliveries with nine sixes and five fours, pushing the West Indies to a mammoth 245/6. His second T20 century was equally Savage and, again, it was against India. His unbeaten 125 at Sabina Park in Jamaica in July 2017 thoroughly overpowered the Indians and allowed the West Indies to win with an over and a half to spare. They were chasing 190. His best ODI knock was undoubtedly his 176 retired hurt at the Kennington Oval against England in 2017. That innings revealed that there was much more to his game than hitting the ball out of the ground. Watchful in the early stages, where he hardly lifted a ball from off the turf, the innings blossomed into one of glorious shot-making. When injury forced him from the crease he had struck 17 fours and seven sixes off 130 balls. “Personal reasons” prompted his withdrawal from the limited overs squads to face India in October 2018, and not long ago the Trinidadian suffered from a bout of bad form. He now makes his appearance in the squad having last played an ODI in July 2018 against Bangladesh. He didn’t have the best of times in the IPL with Mumbai Indians but will be looking to bounce back on the grand stage in England. For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, click here