… says team coping well with quarantine

By Clifton Ross

WEST Indies all-rounder Rovman Powell believes his team is well-equipped with the weapons necessary needed to upset the Kiwis in their backyard, when the T20 series bowls off in a few weeks.
The Jamaica Scorpions skipper told the media during Friday’s Zoom conference, that despite missing the likes of Chris Gayle and other marquee players; the Windies have enough weapons in their arsenal to possibly secure their first T20 series win in New Zealand.

“To be honest I think this squad can turn it around. NZ hasn’t been an easy place to tour not just for us but for other overseas teams who have toured. But I think our squad is a pretty good one and the captain and coach stressed about the brand of cricket we want to play leading up to the World Cup so the guys have been buying into that brand of cricket,” said Powell..
Speaking on lockdown and how players have been handling it, Powell explained, “Windies have been in quarantine since arriving in New Zealand, successfully passing the first sets of COVID-19 tests as they await another round of testing.

“It’s been pretty good; credit must go to the New Zealand government and the cricket board for putting in such good measures. The food, all the activities we’ve had as a team. Although we have not had that much, it has been smooth sailing, so credit has to be given to all those who have made this a success.”
“Guys stayed in their rooms, played a few games and did what they had to do because we still have responsibilities. We have a few days when we get out in groups of 10 to do a little bit of training, so there we come together as a team and play a little bit of football, then we get into the cricket details of the tour. So most times it’s staying in our rooms,” the all-rounder explained.
A phenomenal stroke-maker with overwhelming Global T20 experience, having represented a number of teams over the years, the 27-year-old said he’s shrugged off his dismal Hero CPL 2020 and is now prepared to play his best brand of cricket when the 3-match series bowls off.

“It’s an important tour for me. CPL is behind me and I’m looking forward to brighter things now and hopefully I can put my best foot forward. It’s good that New Zealand have dealt with their COVID-19 situation so we are able to play cricket in front of some fans after a long time,”. Powell stated.

West Indies will be backing themselves and with the permission to train and a few practice games against NZ A team ahead of series, the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Andre Fletcher, Brandon King and others were given trust by Powell, who was firm on this young brigade bringing the heat to the Kiwis.
“It’s a very strong team with regard to being a power-hitting team. The missing guys provide an opportunity for us younger guys before the world cup, just before the start of 2021 to put our best foot forward and put in good performances,” he concluded.