West Indies century-maker Rovman Powell admits he has spent the last few months away from the team working out susceptibility to wrist spin.
The 28-year-old returned to the regional squad with a bang on Wednesday, blasting the first T20I century of his career, and third for a West Indian player, with 107 in a 20-runs win against England. The crucial innings, along with 70 from vice-captain Nicholas Pooran anchored the team’s effort in taking a 2-1 series lead.
“I think it’s been overall improvement, I can strike the ball well but I also have a little problem with wrist spin. Every time I start my innings they come and bowl wrist spin.
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard has pointed to the importance of putting egos aside in selecting the right team, following a stunning display from returning batsman Rovman Powell against England.
Ahead of the match, some considered it to be somewhat of a controversial decision to add Powell to the line-up at the expense of Odean Smith, who has also shown plenty of promise in recent innings. The result, however, spoke for itself. The captain believes it speaks to the versatility of the unit.
“It vindicated the team selection, obviously, it was a good game of cricket we batted first, and we batted well, kudos to Rovman. He came in having been out for the first two games and took his chance,” Pollard said after the match.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel today announced the Senior Men’s squad for the upcoming three-match One-Day International (ODI) Series against India. The West Indies will visit the sub-continent from February 6 to 20, where they will also play three T20 Internationals (T20Is).
The ODIs will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 6, 9, and 11. These matches form part of the ICC ODI Super League and the West Indies will have the opportunity to win points to be one of the top seven teams, excluding hosts India, to gain automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The T20Is will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 16, 18, and 20, with the squad expected to be announced on Friday.
One of the key things that fans of West Indies cricket over the last few years have wanted from the regional team is consistency.
There are periods where the team is clicking at all levels, as evidenced by a dominant 4-1 T20I series win over Australia in July 2021 but there are also periods where the team just can’t seem to buy a win.
“We’ve just got to keep challenging ourselves to play a complete game. If we can be a lot more clinical and consistent, we can make our lives a whole lot easier. The challenge for each and every individual is to seek consistency. I think consistency is something that we’ve been talking about for years and it’s just time we start heading in the right direction and progressing. I just want to see progression and development, consistently,” he said.
The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) have partnered to launch a sports marketing course that will give students from across the Caribbean an accredited qualification while also benefiting from the knowledge of key Hero CPL staff.
The course has been created by the UWI’s Faculty of Sport and the Hero CPL marketing team and it will give students insights into the running of a hugely successful sporting event. At the end of the course, the students will be given the opportunity to work with the Hero CPL team as interns during the tournament.
