West Indies batsman Rovman Powell praised his bowlers for keeping their composure in difficult conditions as his side defeated Bangladesh by 16 runs in the opening T20I in Chattogram. The win gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Speaking after being named Player of the Match, Powell said his team’s bowlers deserved full credit for sticking to their plans in the face of heavy dew. “If one of the main batters had stayed and increased for longer, we’d be under pressure because it was very wet in the end,” Powell said. “Then the credit goes to the bowlers as they stuck to the plan and kept taking wickets.”
The West Indies batter admitted the team had not anticipated how much the conditions would affect play. “We’ve got the information from the pitch, we’ve got the information from the ground. We didn’t really know that it would get this wet. So maybe that is something for the next two games that we take into consideration, but it did get very wet out there tonight,” he explained.
Looking ahead, Powell said the team would aim to improve further. “We know Bangladesh is a tough team, especially at home, so we definitely look to the next game and see how best we can improve and see if we can win again,” he said.
The victory made the night even more memorable for Powell, who was playing his 100th T20 international. “I’m very happy. It shows that I have worked hard at this level,” he said. “It was very special to get Man of the Match in my 100th game.”
Reflecting on his batting, Powell added, “I think that is a batting template that I’ve been using over the last year or two, and I’ve gotten good success with it. It’s just for me to try to get a start and then try to get as much success as possible.”
