Rovman Powell Reflects on ‘Successful’ T20I Captaincy Stint for West Indies

Rovman Powell is no longer the captain of the West Indies T20I team, however, he is proud of the results he achieved during his tenure. During his captaincy, West Indies witnessed a significant improvement in their ICC ranking. The team rose from ninth to third position during his time, reflecting his strong performance as the team’s leader.

While speaking to the media about his journey in international cricket, Rovman Powell said that he entered the field with the sole focus of representing the West Indies at the highest level. In addition to achieving that, he also had the opportunity to explore the evolving landscape of franchise cricket by playing in various leagues.

"A lot of the stuff in your career you didn't set out to achieve. You started with the ambition to play for West Indies. That was the goal. And now the global landscape of cricket has grown over the last 10-15 years so much where now you also play for different franchises around the world.” said Rovman Powell while talking to the media.

He then described how proud he feels to have played 100 T20I matches for the West Indies. During this journey, he also helped the team rise from ninth to third place in the rankings, an achievement he is particularly proud of as a former Caribbean team captain.

"I set out to play for the West Indies, and now I've played over 100 T20I games - it's something that I'm grateful for. I've moved the team from ninth in the rankings to No. 3 in the world. Those are the little things that during the duration of your career you feel proud about. I've won franchise titles with various teams around the world. That is also something you feel proud about.” said Rovman Powell.

The allrounder then elaborated on his stint as West Indies captain, during which he achieved several notable objectives. He is proud of his efforts as a leader, as his tenure was genuinely successful.

"My captaincy stint with the West Indies was very good - a pretty successful stint. [It's] something that I'm grateful for. It has fostered better interactions with the players. You open your eyes to each and every one in these leagues as soon as they're playing, you look to see what they are doing, and how much they can contribute to West Indies cricket.” said Rovman Powell.

“So it fostered those healthy conversations. Whenever people would see you as captain, they would ask how far they are from playing for West Indies, and what they need to do." added Rovman Powell.

Powell then described his criteria of picking leagues in the international circuit. He said his focus is always on those leagues that do not clash with West Indies international tours, such as the IPL and a few others.

"After you play international cricket, you pick a few competitions that don't have any international clashes. Fortunately, ILT20 is one, [and] IPL is one. I haven't been to the PSL in a few years because there's always a clash.” said Rovman Powell.

“We have our own local competition, which is the CPL. When there is no international cricket, you see the other leagues that are going on, and if you can go there for a few games, that also works." added Rovman Powell.

Rovman Powell Prefers Batting in the Middle Order

Talking about his preference for batting position, Powell said that he likes to bat at no.5 in the middle order. According to him, having a set position helps build consistency, which in turn allows a player to perform better in matches.

"I like batting at No. 5 most. You can develop a level of consistency with the game. That is the difference between batting early in the order and late. At No. 5, I have an opportunity to build an innings. When I bat at No. 7 or those places, you only bat ten balls sometimes - at most.” said Rovman Powell.

“All you have to do then is just try to hit as many sixes as possible. Batting earlier at Nos. 4 or 5, you're given the opportunity to bat more balls, [and] take a little fewer chances. So the volume of runs you score will be a lot greater." added Rovman Powell.

He then gave some tips about constructing an innings in a T20 match. He gave precise advice that batters should always assess the wicket first by playing a few balls, as it provides them with an understanding of the nature of the surface correctly.

"It's dependent on the state of the game. If you bat early, you know how fast you have to bat. One thing never changes: you take the first few balls to get yourself in, to read the conditions, pick up how good the wicket is, [and] what's going on with different types of bowlers.” said Rovman Powell.

After you get that, you lay out the platform of how you're looking to score them. The flow of the game will tell you how you need to bat, [and] how many boundaries you need." concluded Rovman Powell.