A strong contingent of six Guyanese players was selected in the recent draft for the ninth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10.
The group is headlined by West Indies mainstays, including hard-hitting middle-order batsman Shimron Hetmyer, explosive allrounder Sherfane Rutherford, the powerful Romario Shepherd, and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie.
The most compelling story from the Guyanese draft picks is the inclusion of emerging all-rounder Quentin Sampson.
Sampson, a softball and tapeball cricket circuit graduate, is beginning to make inroads in the lucrative franchise world.
His selection comes after he was named the Emerging Player of the Caribbean Premier League 2025.
Along with Sampson, a franchise also snapped up left-arm spin option Ashmead Nedd.
The draft saw several West Indies marquee names secured, including captaincy figures and T20 specialists such as Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, and Akeal Hosein. Other players selected include Andre Fletcher, Odean Smith, Johnson Charles, Kadeem Alleyne, Fabian Allen, and Kelvin Pitman.
The Abu Dhabi T10, hosted by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), is the only T10 competition to hold recognition from the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The tournament will run from November 18 to 30 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. During the player draft held on Saturday, October 18, the eight competing teams built their 19-player squads, each centred around a designated Icon Player.
However, the tournament clashes with Cricket West Indies Super50, which is from November 19 – 29 in Trinidad, and the West Indies multi-format tour to New Zealand, which starts November 5 and runs until December, as the third Test starts December 17.
From a Guyana Harpy Eagles standpoint, Sampson and Nedd are not contracted; however, both would still need a No-Objection Certificate from the Guyana Cricket Board.
Both would be contenders for the Harpy Eagles’ squad for the Super50.
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