Harare : Impressive rookie all-rounder Rovman Powell has urged the West Indies not to relax on the heels of their convincing victory over Sri Lanka in the opening game of their One-Day International (ODI) tri-series.
The 23-year-old all-rounder played a starring role on debut as the West Indies trounced the Sri Lankans by 62 runs at the Harare Sports Club here on Wednesday, to make a winning start to the tournament which also includes hosts Zimbabwe, reports CMC.
“I think it was a fantastic team effort to see a young team gel and beat a strong Sri Lanka team,” said Powell after the match. “It’s been a while we haven’t beaten Sri Lanka in competitive cricket but what we need to do now is not get complacent. We have a next game in three days time so we need to go back to the drawing board and sharpen the areas that need sharpening.”
Powell produced a masterclass in power-hitting, smashing a 29-ball 44 with two fours and three sixes.
Fellow debutant Shai Hope got 47 while left-hander Jonathan Carter celebrated his 29th birthday with a measured top score of 54. Powell, who impressed on the recent West Indies A tour of Sri Lanka, said he was pleased with the way he had gone about his innings.
“The thought process was very simple. Going out we knew that 230, 235 would be a challenging total on this wicket so what I did, I just tried to get myself in and tried to bat to the end. While I was batting I started to find my range and then I started to get going,” the Jamaican explained.
