Guyanese Quenten Sampson suspended from bowling

Cricket West Indies has announced the suspension of Guyanese player Quenten Sampson due to a suspect bowling action during a match five of the West Indies Breakout League. The suspension marks a serious blow to both his budding career and his team’s campaign in the West Indies Breakout League.

The incident stems from Match 5 of the league, played on April 29 at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium, where match officials flagged Sampson’s bowling action as suspect during his spell against the Jamaica Titans. According to the details, once a player is reported for a suspect bowling action, the video footage from the match is provided to the Cricket West Indies following the standard protocol. 

The footage along with a written report is then submitted to Cricket West Indies (CWI), who in turn commissioned an independent analysis by Loughborough University in the UK. As per the verdict that arrived on Friday, Sampson’s bowling exceeded the allowable elbow extension threshold under international regulations, violating the rules set by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

This suspension, effective immediately will currently ban Sampson from bowling in all regional and international matches sanctioned by CWI, as well as any other domestic competitions worldwide. Sampson will now will have to begin his remedial work under the supervision of the Guyana Cricket Board’s coaching unit in order to improve his bowling action. 

After demonstrating a corrected action, either through a follow-up Opinion Report from Loughborough or another ICC-accredited testing centre, Sampson can apply for reassessment and return to competition. This setback by Sampson would not only be crucial for him but for the Rainforest Rangers, who will have to compete in the upcoming matches without their key quicks. 

The netizens reacted on the incident and shared their views on their official social media handle. As an individual wrote, “My question is who is selecting the coaches? That should be sorted out before got selected for any team. Seems like our coaches, needs coaching. Sorry for the young man, but that current coach should be fired from the team.”

Another user wrote, “The coaches, managers and local administrators have failed yet another cricketer. This youngster had to be pelting from the very beginning, yet nobody ever told him so.” 

Current Points Table of West Indies Breakout League 2025 

1.       Trinidad and Tobago Legions – 31 points. 

2.       Leeward Islands Thunder – 19 points.

3.       Barbados Pelicans – 14 points.

4.       Guyana Rainforest Rangers – 14 points.

5.       Windward Islands Infernos – 10 points.

6.       Jamaica Titans – 8 points.