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BY BRYAN DAVIS

THAT powerful innings of 107 by Rovman Powell in the third ODI game against England on January 26 at Kensington Oval, Barbados, was authoritative in its execution and compelling in its entertainment value. I appreciated what Powell had to say after the game.
After explaining how proud he felt, he went on to explain:
“For the last five-six months I’ve been working hard and when you work hard, it’s good to see it pay off.” His innings helped build the WI score to 224 which proved to be out of reach for England’s batsmen (204).
I’m pleased to hear that someone has benefitted from putting in the hours of tough practice. Nicholas Pooran also produced a delightful innings of 70 after his wobbly start revealed a lack of confidence.
He was still not looking too comfortable at the beginning in his new position at number three.
However, the partnership revealed some class, allowing one to revel in the usually unexpressed talent of West Indian batsmen.
Nevertheless, without taking anything away from the batsmen, the pitch was perfect for batting and the bowlers were made to struggle.
Excellent opportunity for batsmen to capitalise on their ability. The dangerous leg-spin and googlies of Adil Rashid were nullified.
The first game on January 22 was a walkover for the hosts. They were not tested at all as England’s batting imploded through the superb bowling of Jason Holder. Off to a bad start, they never found the wherewithal to recover.
WI batsmen hardly raised a sweat to overtake the minuscule target of 104 and it was good to see Brandon King among the runs. He has a lot of class but like all Windies’ batsmen, by sheer lack of practice, he does not live up to his ability.
On January 23, it was a different story. England scored 171 and the home team got to 170. This was mainly due to two attacking innings of 44 each by the left-handed all-rounder Akeal Hosein coming in at number ten and right-handed all-rounder Romario Shepherd batting at seven.
It was refreshing to witness the fight the two internationally inexperienced cricketers brought to the task at hand; yet, their effort should not be denied them in their failure to win the match by two runs. That was due to the main batsmen failing.
Skipper Kieron Pollard blamed the loss on the catching, not the batting collapse. He said:
“We gave two chances to Moeen (Ali)...and he went on to score 30-odd.” That’s the game. In this instance, it proved that not only batting needs improvement but the fielding as well. Pooran also got two chances and made 24. What’s the difference?
In a game of cricket, the advantage always rests with the side that takes its chances.
The fourth game on Saturday, the penultimate game of the series with the Windies leading 2-1, was an opportunity to claim the series against their worthy opponent whose ranking is number one in World T20’s competition.
The wicket for this game was quite similar to the one used in the third match which WI won by 20 runs. It was a benign pitch that contained many runs if the advantage was taken when batting. In that previous game after being sent in to bat and scoring 224 runs, it was surprising to see the WI captain choose to field first after succeeding with the toss.
The batting momentum with the confidence gained would certainly have been to the advantage of Pollard’s men.
The fielding appeared sluggish and lazy and not with the pep I expected. The bowling was lack-lustre. However, as I mentioned, the pitch was made for batting, therefore, the bowling needed to be tight, which it wasn’t.
The 18th and 19th overs bowled by Holder and Shepherd went for 46. The visitors won by 34 runs.
Congratulations to Pollard for winning the final game played on Sunday. This time the skipper decided to bat first after winning the toss which is unusual for him. WI managed a good score of 179/4. The team effort saw three batsmen scoring in their thirties and the skipper top-scoring with 41 not out. England’s batsmen floundered and were bundled out for 162. WI climaxed it in style with Jason Holder, 5/27, putting the cap on the series with a beaver-trick. Akeal Hosein did well with 4/30.
I trust it is a positive sign for the future.
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