Opener Powell Aims For Consistency On Tour Of Bangladesh

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Kieran Powell said he is looking for a strong performance on West Indies’ tour of Bangladesh.

Kieran Powell is looking to do well in Bangladesh. Photo: DigicelCricket.com/Brooks LaTouche

The West Indies opener said he had learned a lot from his first full year of international cricket and was looking to put that knowledge to work in his approach to the game.

“I think in the previous series [against New Zealand], the performances started to shift and I am understanding more about what I need to do to be successful at this level,” said Powell.

“Also, watching players like Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle operate on a daily basis and see the way they go about doing things, makes it a lot easier for me to know what I have to do to be successful.”

Powell has played 11 Tests since he made his debut in the final Test of the home series against India last year in Dominica.

The 22-year-old left-hander from Nevis seemed to have found his feet in Tests, following his maiden Test hundred of 134 against New Zealand last July at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.

He and Gayle put on 254 for the first wicket against the Black Caps – the fourth highest opening stand ever for West Indies in Tests.

“There is always pressure in Test cricket, so I am just trying to alleviate the pressure in whatever way I can and try to make it as easy as possible for myself,” said Powell.

“As anyone else will have to do, I will have to score plenty runs and score them consistently, so that I will let the selectors know that I welcome the opportunity to play and that I am hungry for success.”

Powell said he wanted to contribute in a significant way on the tour of Bangladesh, hoping to spur West Indies to a series victory over the hosts.

“Personally, I expect to improve from the previous series in which I played against New Zealand, and as a team, we are looking to move forward,” he said.

“We want to continue winning. We just had success in the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament and we are looking to take that confidence into this Test series.

“I have my personal goals, but I would prefer not to reveal them at this time – anything that would contribute to the team’s overall success that would be worthy.”

Powell said he planned to spend the rest of preparation time trying to tighten his technique against spin bowling.

“We all know that going to Bangladesh we are going to get a lot of spin bowling, so I am just looking to bat a lot of spin in the training sessions,” he said.

“The Three Ws Oval pitch [where the team plays a training match from Tuesday to Thursday] normally offers a lot of turn for the spin bowlers in first-class matches, so we should be able to get good preparation for the tour.

“We expect Bangladesh to be hot, but we are a very fit team, so that should not be a problem. Batting lots of spin in training will be very helpful.”

West Indies face Bangladesh in two Tests from November 13 to 17 at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in that country’s capital of Dhaka, and from November 21 to 25 at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in the south-western city of Khulna.

The Tests will be followed by five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 Internationals.