Powell not surprised at captaincy

Rovman Powell

KINGSTON, Jamaica  CMC – Two years after making his international debut,  Jamaican all-rounder Rovman Powell has been appointed to captain the West Indies in the upcoming three-match One-Day International series in Bangladesh.

 The 25-year-old played his first international match in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Harare in 2016. He told the Gleaner newspaper here that he is proud of the accomplishment and is looking forward to the upcoming series.

“To be honest, to be appointed interim captain of the West Indies is definitely a good feeling,” Powell said.

“As a youngster, that has always been a dream, to lead the West Indies, and to see it playing out now, it’s given me a very good feeling. It’s definitely an accomplishment and an achievement that I am personally proud of.” Powell was appointed in the absence of regular captain Jason Holder, who is recovering from a shoulder injury.

He has played 31 ODIs and has also represented the region in 17 Twenty20 Internationals.

Powell only made his first-class debut in 2015 but as West Indies administrators showed with the appointment of Holder at 23 years, they are confident in Powell’s ability to lead the team.

He said the appointment is not entirely a surprise, and that “things have happened fast, but it’s the nature of international sports. Things come at you fast, and it’s how you react to things.”

Nevertheless, Powell is confident that the upcoming series will be a positive experience and said he is happy to have the support of the board.

“It will be a challenging three-match series, but I am optimistic and positive that we will get good results this time around. Every team is strong at home, and Bangladesh are definitely strong at home.

“Once  we get our combinations right and put proper plans in place, then I don’t see why we should not beat Bangladesh,” said Powell, whose assurance seemed to ignore the recent innings, and 84-run defeat suffered in the second and final Test.

“I have had some discussions with the selection panel and the director of cricket (Jimmy Adams), and they are in full support of me. They realise that I have some leadership qualities, and apart from the India tour, my career was going good, so they saw that and made a decision in making me vice-captain of the team, and now that Jason Holder is injured, the portfolio of captaincy comes on my shoulders,” Powell said.