DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) — In the afterglow of a hard-fought but ultimately disappointing opening Twenty20 (T20) International against Afghanistan, the West Indies camp found a silver lining in the composed debut of young batsman Quentin Sampson.

While the hosts fell short by 38 runs, Sampson emerged as a beacon of resilience, top-scoring for the side with a crucial 30 runs against a formidable Afghan attack.

Stepping onto the international stage for the first time, the 25-year-old spoke with a mixture of awe and analysis in a post-match interview.

“Well, I was out of words,” Sampson said, reflecting on receiving his cap. “You know, whilst going out on the field it was something like a strange, strange feeling. You know that you wanted to be here for some time [but] you just can’t imagine that it is already here.”

For Sampson, the privilege of sharing the dressing room was as significant as his time in the middle.

“Yeah, it was a great experience rubbing shoulders with a lot of senior players who, you know, I grew up looking at playing cricket. It was a good feeling to just be around them and learn new things.”

His knock, though not a match-winning one, showcased a maturity that bodes well for the future. However, Sampson was quick to shift focus from personal achievement to the team’s areas for improvement. He offered a frank assessment of the batting collapse that saw the Windies stumble in their chase.

“Well, I’d say that we need to be more patient, choose our balls wisely,” he said. “They were bowling well but we have to capitalise on the few loose balls, and we didn’t.”

Sampson didn’t shy away from critiquing the bowling performance either, particularly during the costly death overs during which Afghanistan accelerated.

“I would like to see the team really tighten up in our bowling,” he said. “You can see we’re going for runs in the back end [but] just tighten up with the bowling and let the senior players, who have a lot of experience, go about their business.”