West Indies are unbeaten in the tournament with three consecutive wins in Group D to secure a place in the Super Eights. They will face group-toppers Afghanistan in their last group-stage match at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Powell acknowledged the home pressure heading into the mega event and said the team has dealt with it well so far, highlighting their rise in the T20I rankings under his leadership.
“I think the pressure is always there, especially when you are playing a World Cup at home. The pressure is always there, but it is on us as individuals to manage those pressures.And I think as a captain, when I started this journey, when I took over the captaincy 12 or 14 months ago, we were eighth or ninth in the rankings,'' he said before the match against Afghanistan. Said.
"It's a great feeling to see us now ranked number three in the world. And it shows that not just me, but the players are coming together and we are doing something right. I have never played in a West Indies team." "No. 3 in the world, so that's something special for me and hopefully we can continue to climb those rankings," Powell said.,
On Monday, local boy Johnson Charles will get the opportunity to present the show to his home crowd. Except for 44 runs against Uganda, the opener failed to open his account in the two matches. Powell extended his support to the struggling batsman and said that the team expects him to play aggressively.
“It's just a case of us asking him to be Johnson Charles, be his natural self. If he's an aggressive player, we expect him to play aggressively.But with that aggression, we know that at some point he will fail and at some point, he will perform well, so now it's our job to support him, now it's our job to give him that extra support. Give him what he needs and I think everyone is behind him to perform well tomorrow or when he gets a chance in future games. " said the captain.
Powell also stressed his delight at playing on a batsman-friendly ground, which is not common in this competition.
"When we look at the schedule all the batsmen were excited to come to St Lucia. Traditionally St Lucia has been a place where batsmen love to bat. But it is also an opportunity for the bowlers to bowl good spells here, Especially for fast bowlers.We believe that St. Lucia offers 60-40 (runs) for bowling from a batting perspective and so, if you are a bowler, or if you are a batsman, you can definitely get something. St Lucia wicket,” he concluded.
Powell acknowledged the home pressure heading into the mega event and said the team has dealt with it well so far, highlighting their rise in the T20I rankings under his leadership.
“I think the pressure is always there, especially when you are playing a World Cup at home. The pressure is always there, but it is on us as individuals to manage those pressures.And I think as a captain, when I started this journey, when I took over the captaincy 12 or 14 months ago, we were eighth or ninth in the rankings,'' he said before the match against Afghanistan. Said.
"It's a great feeling to see us now ranked number three in the world. And it shows that not just me, but the players are coming together and we are doing something right. I have never played in a West Indies team." "No. 3 in the world, so that's something special for me and hopefully we can continue to climb those rankings," Powell said.,
On Monday, local boy Johnson Charles will get the opportunity to present the show to his home crowd. Except for 44 runs against Uganda, the opener failed to open his account in the two matches. Powell extended his support to the struggling batsman and said that the team expects him to play aggressively.
“It's just a case of us asking him to be Johnson Charles, be his natural self. If he's an aggressive player, we expect him to play aggressively.But with that aggression, we know that at some point he will fail and at some point, he will perform well, so now it's our job to support him, now it's our job to give him that extra support. Give him what he needs and I think everyone is behind him to perform well tomorrow or when he gets a chance in future games. " said the captain.
Powell also stressed his delight at playing on a batsman-friendly ground, which is not common in this competition.
"When we look at the schedule all the batsmen were excited to come to St Lucia. Traditionally St Lucia has been a place where batsmen love to bat. But it is also an opportunity for the bowlers to bowl good spells here, Especially for fast bowlers.We believe that St. Lucia offers 60-40 (runs) for bowling from a batting perspective and so, if you are a bowler, or if you are a batsman, you can definitely get something. St Lucia wicket,” he concluded.
