Despite several key players choosing to make themselves unavailable for the upcoming Bangladesh tour, Powell was surprisingly not selected for hastily compiled ODI or squads. In explaining the unusual situation, chief of selectors Roger Harper claimed the player had not been considered as he was yet to make the team's required fitness standard. In a recent release, however, the NCA has vehemently disputed the claim. The 30-year-old top-order batsman was the top scorer in the previous season of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Super50 competition. Powell scored 524 runs at an average of 58.22, with two 100s and two 50s.
“When questioned on the omission of Powell, Chairman of Selectors, Roger Harper, responded that Powell is ‘yet to make the fitness standard’. This statement is incorrect. When the Leeward Islands Hurricanes conducted their fitness tests on June 30th, 2020, Kieran Powell successfully passed all aspects of the tests including the yo-yo test. The results of the tests were communicated to Mr. Peter Abraham Jr., CEO of the Leeward Islands Cricket Board, shortly thereafter. These results and, in particular, as they relate to Kieran Powell ought to have been made known to Cricket West Indies and their employees as they have an interest in the fitness of all of their players,” the release read.
“Subsequently, we presume Cricket West Indies were in receipt of Kieran Powell’s successful fitness test results as Powell was included in a group of probable players that were in consideration for the West Indies tour of Bangladesh as recently as two weeks ago.”
The NCA also claimed that in the first instance of Powell failing a fitness test, alongside Shimron Hetmyer and Evin Lewis, arrangements were made for the other two players to speedily retake the test, but no such provision was made for Powell.
The body has called the statement made by Harper ‘damaging’ and demanded a retraction, insisting the player is both fully fit and obviously in good form.
The 31-year-old opener fell just five runs short of a century, but his 95 from 175 balls anchored the West Indies B second innings total of 218 for 4 heading into the fourth day. The total, at the end of the day’s play, left the team with just 92 runs needed to win the match, with plenty of wickets in hand.
Powell was the anchor throughout the innings, forming key partnerships with opening partner Shane Moseley, who added 36, Shamarh Brooks (39), and Raymond Reifer (22), before being dismissed by spinner Rahkeem Cornwall, who also accounted for Moseley.
Earlier, WI Best A had resumed the day on 197-3 with an unbeaten and confident-looking Shai Hope at the crease on 104. However, young pace bowler Javon Searles continued an excellent performance with the ball when he added Hope to the collection of top-order batsmen he removed from the crease. Hope only managed another two runs before being caught by Mosely off the bowling of Searles. Searles ended the innings with the best figures of 4 for 40.
Paul Palmer, not out on 15, and Reifer, who was not out on 22, will resume the day at the crease for WI Best B on Thursday.
The 30-year-old Powell was surprisingly left out of a team that was hastily arranged after several members of the first team declined to tour Bangladesh. Many believe Powell capable of being a regular part of the first team.
The Leeward Island’s batsman was the highest runs scorer in the previous season of the Cricket West Indies Super50 tournament. Powell scored 524 runs with a high score of 121 not out. He also had two 50s and two 100s.
The player was initially surprised he was not selected to the team to tour England earlier this year, after a strong showing for the season. He admitted, however, to having failed a fitness test but claimed he was perplexed as others who did not show up for the test or also failed it were still selected. According to Harper, however, the issue of Powell’s fitness remains a hindrance and formed part of the consideration on this occasion as well.
“Mr. Powell has performed very well, he was the leading runs scorer for the Super50 competition, but he is yet to meet the fitness standard,” Harper told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Players have been left out of the team for the same reason. The players we have selected on this squad have all met the fitness standard,” he added.
“Evin Lewis declined the invitation but he too is now available for selection.”
Lewis was dropped from the squad, along with Shimron Hetmyer earlier this year, after failing fitness tests.
There can be no doubt that the 27-year-old can be absolutely devasting with the bat, which he has proven on several occasions in recent years. In the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), however, Powell also showed some ability with the ball. He claimed 5 wickets in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, along with quite a few economic spells.
The player has, however, not been as successful with the ball recently, going without a wicket in the CPL this season. It is an area he has targeted for improvement.
“I’m a batting all-rounder, for the last couple of years my bowling has fallen off. It’s something I have sat down and thought about,” Powell said from the team’s training base in New Zealand on Thursday.
“It’s just for me now to work on my bowling and strengthen all three aspects of my cricket," he added.
One area of his bowling he would specifically like to strengthen is how much pace he can generate.
“To get that ex-factor I think I have to bowl a little bit faster. Looking at the other all-rounders around the world and around the Caribbean, they tend to bowl a little bit faster than I do. The slower balls and the variation will always come, but you know over the course of my career I have to come up with ways to bowl a little faster and that will give me an edge.”
The administrator has taken exception with what he believes is the unfair treatment meted out to opening batsman Kieron Powell, who is also his son. With 12 first team members opting not to go on the upcoming tour of Bangladesh, Powell, the top runs scorer during last season’s Super50 competition, was left out of a hastily assembled second-string team.
According to Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief of selectors Roger Harper, the player had failed to meet the team’s fitness standards. The senior Powell, however, insists that was not quite true as while representing the Leeward Islands Kieron had passed the Yoyo fitness test more than once. He insists that the issue stems from the fact that the player has not being given another opportunity to prove his fitness by the regional governing body. By comparison, he claims that Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmeyer, who both failed the test at the same time as Powell, were quickly afforded opportunities to prove their improved fitness level.
“The West Indies Cricket Board has repeatedly said as recently as Roger Harper on the 29th…that Powell was left out because he has not yet met the fitness standard, which is absolutely inaccurate in that he has more than once met and passed the fitness test as administered by the Leeward Islands,” Powell told Television Jamaica.
“The West Indies Cricket Board should amend their statement to say that they have failed to give him a fitness test since he failed the test in December of 2019,” he added.
“By the same token others who failed the fitness test at the same time, Hetmeyer and Lewis, fitness tests were arranged for them by the board. We’re saying this is absolutely wrong there must be a level playing field for all the persons.”
Back in 2019, four suspicious-looking men trailed his older sister Danielle, who was on her way home from a gas station. When she realized what was happening she drove to a nearby police station which caused the men to turn and drive away.
It was a positive ending but the memory has lived with him ever since and was stirred by recent incidents in his home country while he was away on West Indies duty.
In late December 2020, the body of 18-year-old Riley was found with multiple stab wounds in a river off Upper La Canoa Road in Santa Cruz. Bharratt, a 23-year-old university graduate was abducted in late January. Her body was found in a wooded area in the Heights of Aripo days later.
Both incidents triggered waves of anger and anxiety in the twin-island republic that has been grappling with seemingly increasing incidents of violence against women and prompted Da Silva to act.
He called his sister to tell her what he wanted to do that day in Bangladesh said a family member, who said they backed Joshua 100 per cent but suggested that he first seek permission from Cricket West Indies before taking any action. They also suggested he seek the help of cricket commentator and former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop, to get the word out.
It all worked out to plan.
After the West Indies completed their 17-run victory, Da Silva posted on his Instagram that he was dedicating his performance to Bharratt and the women in his home country. The gesture generated a positive response from across the Caribbean, especially in his home country.
Speaking to Sportsmax.TV recently, the 22-year-old cricketer explained that he wanted to put his growing popularity to good use.
“I really wanted to show my support to the women of Trinidad and Tobago at this time. Therefore, I used the biggest platform that I have in order to do so,” he said.
“Ashanti and Andrea are two of too many women that have been adversely affected. Enough is enough and we have lost too many lives. We need to protect our women.”
According to the United Nations’ global database on violence against women, 30 per cent of Trinidadian women suffer physical and or sexual abuse at the hands of a lifetime partner. Six per cent have suffered physical or sexual intimate partner violence within the last 12 months and 19 per cent suffer from sexual violence from a non-partner.
Pooran has struggled to make an impact in six matches so far this season, managing just a high score of 19 and failing to score on three occasions. Gayle has had more of a mixed performance, scoring 40 plus on two occasions but also had a series of low scores, including a golden duck in the team’s last encounter against Kolkata Knightriders.
Ojha, however, believes that the team’s top two KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal might be thinking about scoring too quickly and posting too big a target too early in the innings.
"They should think about 160-170 at first. But if you start thinking from the beginning that we have a very good batting line-up with Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran and we should aim 180-190 then you are putting undue pressure on (them),” Ojha told Cricbuzz.
"You can only think about a big score once you have got a good start. So you have to change your plans accordingly. You can't think that you have big names and they will always score runs. You have the look at the kind of form they are in too. Can't plan based on past glory," Ojha added.
The iconic ball-beater turned 42 on Tuesday but could only watch from the bench as the team fell to a 2 runs loss to Rajasthan Royals. The West Indian has managed 178 runs in 8 matches, with an average of 25.42. The average is the fourth-best on the team, but on Tuesday the Kings opted for Aiden Markham at the third place in the line-up, which Gayle has been occupying since last season.
Pietersen admits he found the situation to be an unusual one.
"There will be some questions asked. I don’t understand why you would leave Chris Gayle out on his birthday,” Pietersen said on Star Sports.
“If there was one game you were going to play him, it was this one. If he failed then you say ‘ok, you can have a bit of rest’. So, I can’t understand the thinking at all," he added.
Gayle has been selected for the West Indies T20 squad for next month’s ICC World T20, the appearance will mark his 7th at the global tournament.
Pybus, a former Director of Cricket, served in the post from January to April of last year before being replaced by Floyd Reifer, a few weeks ahead of the 2019 World Cup. Although his tenure was brief, Pybus is credited with orchestrating an outstanding performance from the West Indies cricket team that hosted England last year.
The Test team went on to reclaim the Wisden Trophy with a 2-1 series win over England and also matched up to the highly ranked tourists in the One Day International format where they secured a 2-2 draw. For some critics, the performances had nothing to do with Pybus but was merely a case of the team beginning to discover its full potential. Radford, who served as a member of Pybus’ staff, however, disagrees.
“I thought he was exceptional. Where Richard Pybus was very good was setting the agenda of where he believed the team could go, and getting the players to buy into ‘this is where we were headed’ Cameron told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“I remember the way he drew up on a flip chart, ‘what does a world’s number one look like?’ ‘If you took the world’s best team what is it that they do in Test match cricket?’ He got the players to write down what they needed to deliver. ‘We have to bat for 120 overs. We have to get 350 plus.’ He had all these things and the players were coming up with it, so it gave the players ownership. The players bought into this vision of what we were trying to deliver. So there were clear targets,” he added.
‘Another thing he brilliantly did he put the list of 11 players up, he put the England 11 up and he started to do match-ups. He would say ‘Shannon you have to take more wickets than Anderson’ and it was great there was competition for players with the opposition number. He had all these kinds of things. I think he was excellent as a manager and motivator.”
The 27-years-old Hope was dropped from the team last year ahead of the West Indies tour of New Zealand. The decision followed several months of off-colour form, which saw the player return scores of 16, 9, 25, 7, 17, and 31 during the team’s three-Test tour of England in July. Overall, in Test cricket, Hope averaged 19.48 since December 2017 and just 14.45 since February 2019.
The decision to drop the player, however, still stirred vigorous debate around the region, with many arguing that he should have been allowed to play his way back into form. For his part, Dujon has backed the player to figure things out sooner, rather than later.
“There’s no question in my mind that he is the best batsman that we have,” Dujon told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Technically he is very good, from the very first time I saw him, I thought he was very good and talking to him and getting to know him, I know he is smart enough to work it out when things aren’t going right,” he added.
“He might have gotten his technique a little bit mixed up because of the competitions he was playing in, but I don’t see that lasting very long because he has quality. You don’t go to England and be immortal and not be able to bat.”
Hope grabbed headlines around the world in 2017, becoming the first batsman to score twin hundreds in a match at Headingly in first-class cricket.
The 27-year-old, who took charge of the region’s white-ball teams earlier this year, made the surprise decision to step down as captain, after just 7 months on the job.
As captain of the team, Pooran had faced severe pressure following the team’s poor showing at the T20 World Cup. The West Indies failed to advance from the first round of the competition, following losses to Scotland and Ireland. The results led to the resignation of the team’s head coach Phil Simmons but having only just been appointed to the post, Pooran was widely expected to keep the position.
Dujon admitted to being surprised but believes the player has done the right thing given the circumstances.
“I think it’s a good thing for him. As a young player, you have been given responsibility but things haven’t worked out for him,” Dujon told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“He still has a career ahead of him and shedding this responsibility might just help his cricket as time goes on,” he added.
Pooran captained the T20 team for 23 matches, winning 8 and losing 14 for a win ratio of 35 percent.
A growing number of athletes have spoken out in support of ongoing protests that have roiled the United States, where the killing of 46-year-old African American George Floyd by a white police officer has struck a raw nerve.
The Minneapolis cop, Derek Chauvin, was videoed pressing his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck, ignoring the desperate pleas that he was unable to breathe. Floyd went unconscious at the scene and was later pronounced dead at hospital. Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder, but protests have boiled over to encompasses a global demand for an end to racial injustice and discrimination.
In his Instagram post, which conveyed visible frustration, Gayle pointed to the issue of racism in cricket.
“I have travelled the globe and experienced racial remarks towards me because I am black, believe me, the list goes on,” Gayle said on Monday.
“Racism is not only in football, it’s in cricket too. Even within teams as a black man, I get the end of the stick. Black and powerful. Black and proud,” he said.
“Black lives matter just like any other life. Black people matter, p***k all racist people, stop taking black people for fools, even our own black people wise the p***k up and stop bringing down your own!,” Gayle wrote.
Chris Gayle has also been named in the 15-man squad announced today but there is no place for Odean Smith or Sherfane Rutherford, two of the top performers in the 2021 Hero CPL this year.
West Indies are the defending world champions and only two-time winners of the ICC T20 World Cup, winning in 2012 against Sri Lanka at the Premadasa in Colombo then four years later in 2016 against England in Kolkata. The West Indies now have the opportunity to create further history by becoming the first team to win a hat-trick of ICC T20 World Cup victories.
“The squad is one with good depth and strength in all departments. There is tremendous T20 experience along with World Cup-winning experience which should stand the team in good stead,” said Chief Selector Roger Harper.
“This squad is made up of many world-beating players, who once knitted into a world-beating team, will be extremely difficult to beat. I expect the team to do very well and with the ‘rub of the green’ I think the team has a good chance of defending the title.”
Harper said Rampaul will add quality to the squad.
“Ravi Rampaul is a highly experienced bowler, who performed well in the last CG Insurance Super50 Cup and the current Hero CPL to date. He will boost the team's wicket-taking options in the power-play and the middle phase and will provide another option for the death overs,” Harper said.
“Roston Chase has shown that he is a very capable T20 player. He performed well in the CPL in 2020 and has been outstanding in the 2021 edition so far. He has shown the ability to knit the innings together while still scoring at a fast rate with a low dot-ball percentage. He will be an excellent foil for the explosive players in the team.”
The full squad comprises Kieron Pollard (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice-Captain), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas and Hayden Walsh Jr.
The travelling reserves include Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder and Akeal Hosein.
West Indies have been drawn in Group 1 and will play five group games against England, South Africa and Australia along with the winner of Round 1 Group A (Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Namibia) and the runner-up from Round 1 Group B (Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, and Oman).
West Indies’ first group game will be against England in Dubai on October 23.
England are currently ranked at fourth in the world, four places above the eight-ranked West Indies. On paper, it should be a comfortable win for the home team. But, although the Windies have not managed to get any sort of result in the UK since 1995 and have not won a series there since 1998, the regional team has put in some solid performances, including when they last visited in 2017.
On that occasion, the West Indies were obliterated in the first Test but rebounded strongly on the back of two centuries from Shai Hope to win the second. England went on to win the third Test. Holding believes that particular battling performance and the fact that the Caribbean team turned the tables on the Englishmen on their last visit to the region will give the team some hope heading into the series.
“West Indies lost 2-1 when they were in England the last time. They didn’t play that badly…the second Test match will have showed them that they are able to compete in England,” Holding said on youtube podcast Mikey – Holding nothing back.
“They are about 75 percent of the guys who toured England in this same squad, so it won’t be anything new for them. So that should give them a little bit of help mentally and of course, they have the Wisden Trophy. They beat England in the Caribbean and that should spur them on to make sure they retain that Wisden Trophy. That is a big thing for them,” he added.
The Scorpions found themselves on the back foot early on when Red Force pace bowler Jaden Seales struck to remove opener Leroy Lugg, with just 10 runs on the board.
Charles, who ended the match with outstanding figures of 6 for 48, began his relentless attack on the Scorpions line-up by breaking up the dangerous partnership of John Campbell and Jermaine Blackwood. The duo had already come together to put on 64 for the second wicket when Campbell was caught by Imran Khan off Charles.
Blackwood seemed on track for a half-century but was also uprooted on 44, by Charles, four overs later. A shocking collapse then saw the Jamaica-based franchise lose their next four wickets for just 5 runs as Alwyn Williams (5), Romaine Morrison (0), Derval Green (0), and Jamie Merchant (0) all departed in quick succession. Paul Palmer combined with Marquino Mindley for a late-innings 33-run partnership to avoid further embarrassment.
Seales provided the most support for Charles after claiming 2 for 17. In response, Trinidad and Tobago were 98 for 3 at the close of play, having lost openers Keagan Simmons (11) and Khan (9), and Jason Mohammed (22). Joshua Da Silva (22) and Yannick Cariah (11) are the not-out batsmen at the crease.
Reports emanating from Spain have suggested that the Jamaica team did not want to travel to Europe for the March 30 friendly, as the region struggles to come to grips with the virus. The number of cases reported in Spain has now reached 340, with the region of Catalonia accounting for 28. None have, however, been reported in the city of Lleida.
Earlier this week Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) had promised to rely on advice from the ministry of health before finalising travel plans for the fixture. The friendly was expected to be contested by an all European Jamaica international contingent, which head coach hoped to evaluate. According to reports the JFF and the Spanish Football Association (SFA) are expected to reschedule the fixture just ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.
The national team will return to action next week at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, where an all local contingent will face Bermuda. The Reggae Boyz have made the CONCACAF Hexagonal round for the first time since the 2014 cycle and could be in line for a second appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
Mehidy, who punished the Caribbean team with a first-innings century, tore through the top half of the Windies batting order after claiming 3 for 52 to close the evening session. The spinner struck for Bangladesh after a solid start from the West Indies, which saw skipper Kraigg Brathwaite and left-hander John Campbell post 39 runs in an hour for the first wicket.
Early on, Campbell was more than ready and willing to deploy the sweep shot against the spinners. He cashed in for four 4s, in his 23, but was eventually undone after missing one from Mehidy and being trapped lbw. Brathwaite, in the meantime, showed solid footwork against the spin but was let down by hard hands after a defensive stroke offered against Mehidy went bat-pad to short leg and was gobbled up by Yasir Ali.
Shayne Mosely contributed 12 before also being trapped lbw, which meant the West Indies lost three wickets for 20 runs and found themselves struggling at 59-3.
Coming together to stabilize the innings, Bonner and Mayers used different tactics to see out the day. Mayers was more aggressive for an unbeaten 37, while the more watchful Bonner accumulated 15 from 63.
In the morning session, Bangladesh skipper Momimul Haque registered his 10th Test century as they declared at 223-8. He was the second wicket for fast bowler Shannon Gabriel, who bagged 2-37.
Left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican was again the most successful bowler with 3-57 off 17.5 overs, to end with match figures of 7-190 off 65.5 overs. He bowled well in tandem with off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall, who picked up 3-81 off 27 overs. He took 2-144 off 42.2 overs in the first innings.
The 38-year-old officially called time on representing the West Indies, following the close of a disappointing T20 World Cup campaign that ended with a loss to South Africa. An uninspiring performance from the titleholders saw them lose four of the five matches played.
Overall, Bravo made 295 appearances for the Caribbean team, winning two T20 World Cup titles and one ICC Champions Trophy. Despite the disappointment of the most recent tournamet, however, Bravo, who only months ago claimed the Indian Premier League (IPL) title with the Chennai Super Kings, is not quite ready to walk away from the game completely.
“I will continue playing franchise cricket for a few more years as long as my body will allow me to,” Bravo said during the post-match press conference.
“My aim was to retire a few years ago, but with a change of presidency and change of leadership comes a change of heart, and I wanted to give back to West Indies because I was still in a good place physically and enjoy my cricket,” he said.
Bravo had previously announced his international retirement in October of 2018 but came out of retirement in 2019 to help West Indies defend their T20 title. He is convinced now is the time for a new generation to step into the limelight.
“I think this was the right moment for me to walk away from the game, and allow the next generation and young players who I share a very good friendship with to come through.”
Bucknor, whose career behind the stumps lasted for 20-years, officiated in 128 Test matches and 181 One Day Internationals. In addition, he stood in 5 World Cups.
With the Jamaica-born official having retired in 2009 and the Umpire Digital Review System (DRS) being trialed in 2008, he never had the advantage of appeals and instant replays but is certain it has made the game better for all involved.
“I am not certain if it affects the confidence of umpires, but I know it has improved umpiring,” Bucknor told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“It has improved umpiring because there was a time when we were saying the batsman was so-called playing down the line, therefore he is not going to be given out leg before, but if the technology is saying the ball is hitting, then you have to give him out. So, we learn from the technology,” he added.
"The umpires who do not enjoy having technology around, I hope that they have a rethink. What it does if you make a mistake it can be corrected on the field,” Bucknor said. “Now thinking about when I was umpiring and I gave a batsman out who was not out, realizing I made a mistake it took a long time to fall asleep that night. Now you can fall asleep quickly because the correct decision is eventually given.”
Bucknor infamously and incorrectly gave legendary India batsman Sachin Tendulkar out on two occasions. The first of the mistakes came in Australia (at the Gabba in Brisbane off Jason Gillespie in 2003) where he declared Tendulkar lbw, when the ball was clearly flying over the stumps. Another decision was a caught behind (at the Eden in Kolkata off Abdul Razzaq in 2005) when he thought the batsman had nicked the ball.
“It is human to err. These were mistakes. I don’t think any umpire wants to do the wrong thing, it lives with him and his future could be jeopardised. I was unhappy but human beings make mistakes. Accepting your mistakes and moving on is a part of life.”
Richardson, a former opening batsman, led the West Indies from 1991-1996 and scored 5,949 runs in 86 Tests and scored 6,248 runs in 224 One Day International (ODI) matches. One of a handful of West Indies players that have been knighted, Richardson remains involved with the sport as he is now also an ICC match referee.
“The University of the West Indies is a very important institution to us as a Caribbean people and it’s ranked as one of the best universities in the region so for them to see the need to bestow such an honour on me, then I am deeply touched, honoured and I am very grateful,” Richardson told the Good Morning Jojo Radio Show.
“I was surprised to be honest because I never really expected it but when I realised that it was going to happen I was very excited and deeply honoured.”
