Following a trend from the Abu Dhabi T10, where he batted consistently well while his team developed a habit of losing, Rovman Powell scored a magnificent half-century for Kandy Warriors Wednesday only for them to lose by 14 runs (D/L) to the Jaffna Kings in the Lankan Premier League.
In the match that was reduced to 14 overs because of rain and a wet outfield, Jaffna Kings scored 181-6 on the back of 53 from Avishka Fernando, whose 23-ball innings included seven sixes and Thisara Perera, who hit six sixes and two fours in his 21-ball knock of 53.
Shiraz Ahmed was the best of the Warriors’ bowlers taking 3-23 that included the wickets of both Fernando and Perera.
However, Chaturanga de Silva’s 21 from just 10 balls helped the lower order push Kings to their winning total.
Needing to score at near 13 runs an over for victory, Warriors got good starts from Kennar Lewis and Charith Asalanka, who put on an opening partnership of 64 in six overs. Asalanka scored 42 from just 19 balls before he was dismissed by de Silva.
In his last match before joining the West Indies for international duties in Pakistan, Powell came to the wicket in the seventh over and together with an out of sorts Lewis, who was mainly a spectator in the second wicket partnership of 81 runs. Powell scored 61 of those smashing two fours and seven sixes. His 50 came up in 15 balls, the second-fastest in the LPL.
Warriors got to 145-1 and were in with a good shot at winning needing 36 from 16 balls when Suranga Lakmal got Powell with a Yorker that crashed into his leg stump sending it flying.
The Warriors innings stalled after that as Jayden Seales, who had been taken to the woodshed in his second over that went for 22, returned to take the wickets of Kamindu Mendis for nine and Lewis for 41 to effectively end the contest.
Seales ended with figures of 2-40 from his three overs.
The only consolation for Powell was the pats on the shoulder from the Kings’ players and his teammates as he walked dejectedly into the dressing room.
The loss means that Warriors sit at the bottom of the table winless after three games. The Kings, which were getting their second win are on four points, the same as leaders Galle Gladiators and third-placed Dambulla Giants.
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"Couldn’t be scripted better": King honoured to lead West Indies for the first time
Opener Brandon King will captain the West Indies for the first time when they take on South Africa in three T20Is from May 23-26 at Sabina Park in Kingston.
The 29-year-old has scored 1150 runs in 47 T20Is at an average of 28.04 since his debut against Afghanistan in Lucknow in 2019.
Captaincy is not new for King as he most recently captained the Jamaica Scorpions in the West Indies Championship after leading the Jamaica Tallawahs in last season’s Caribbean Premier League.
“Definitely,” was King’s response when asked about whether or not it is an honor to lead the regional side for the first time.
“It couldn’t be scripted better. It’s an honour to lead the West Indies in any capacity and even more to do it at home so I’m very happy,” he added.
In addition to leading the Windies for the first time, King also expressed joy at getting to do it in his home country Jamaica.
“Obviously, extremely happy. I’m always excited to play at home. It’s good that we get some cricket in especially leading up to the world cup. It brings some excitement to the fans so I’m happy about it,” he said.
The squad recently had a training camp and King is looking forward to the squad getting an opportunity to get some match practice ahead of the world cup set for June 1-29.
“Match practice is something that you can’t replicate in training. We’re coming from a training camp and this is our opportunity to put those plans and skills in place so we’re very much looking forward to it,” he said.
Despite some regular squad members being missing from the squad due to the IPL playoffs, King says the players present are looking to implement some of the plans that many hope will lead to West Indian success at the world cup.
“A few of the guys aren’t here as yet but I think the communication has been clear with the whole group. We know how we want to play and the guys that are here, we’re looking to implement that in this series and see how it goes,” he said.
No place like home: Simmons anticipates return to T&T as part of Papua New Guinea's staff for T20 World Cup
Former West Indies head coach Phil Simmons says he is looking forward to being back in his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago while assisting Papua New Guinea through their ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign in which they will rub shoulders with West Indies.
Simmons, 61, joins Oceania side as a specialist coach, and he will provide Papua New Guinea's head coach Tatenda Taibu with some added experience and knowledge of playing in Caribbean conditions during the June 1-29 showpiece, which will also see games being played in United States.
“My role here is as a consultant coach and how I put across my experience, not just playing in World Cups, but playing in the Caribbean and the things that we should be looking at to make sure we do it right in the Caribbean and especially the venues that we play at,” Simmons shared.
Having built a strong reputation working with international sides such as Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Afghanistan, Simmons, who has played the sport for 14 years and coached for a further 18 years, was pressed for time to spend in the Caribbean and, as such, welcomed the opportunity to spend some time in the twin island republic.
“It’s been a long time in the game. It’s always brilliant to come home, always brilliant to come back to any part of the West Indies you know how beautiful it is here. I’m looking forward to getting home, which is Trinidad. Having people come here, me getting back here, it’s always a great thing, it’s always something to look forward to," he declared.
Simmons, who recently joined the Papua New Guinea squad in their pre-World Cup training camp in St Kitts, expressed pleasure with what he has seen so far.
“Their energy is unbelievable. Their warm-ups alone, got me tired. The guys look like they have settled in really well. In training, we started to get out in the middle of their game, so they started on some of the things they have to do here in the Caribbean, and it’s nice to see the energy that’s among this squad," Simmons said.
“I’ve known the head coach [Taibu] for a long time, and he’s always been energetic. There is always a lot of energy, but the players seem to be pushing him where that is concerned, and so I like that atmosphere in the team, I like the liveliness in the team," he added.
Papua New Guinea will contest Group C alongside West Indies, Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Uganada. They will open against the Caribbean side on June 2, at the National Cricket Stadium in Guyana.
Buttler: England looking to repair dented pride at T20 World Cup
England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler says the team had their pride dented by last year's 50-over World Cup failure, as they look to set things right at the T20 tournament.
England endured a dismal defence of their ODI title in India last year, failing to make it out of the group stage as they lost six of their nine matches.
They are desperate for a better showing as they look to retain their 20-over crown at the T20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies, with their opener coming against Scotland on June 4.
Before then, Buttler's team face Pakistan in a four-match home T20I series, and he has witnessed a determination to respond within the camp.
"That pride was obviously dented and it was a really disappointing competition," Buttler recalled.
"But life moves on, it's a chapter in the book and there's lessons you learn but we're presented with a new opportunity, a different format.
"We go to the West Indies and want to give a better account of ourselves."
Headingley is the venue for England's first match against Pakistan on Wednesday, when Jofra Archer could make his first international appearance for over a year.
The fast bowler has missed the better part of two years with elbow and back issues, but Buttler says he has impressed in training this week.
"He's bowling quick," Buttler said of Archer. "It was good fun facing him in the nets yesterday, a really good challenge. It's great to see him back."
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