"Special thanks to the crowd of Trinidad and Tobago": Powell after T20I series win against England
Dec 22, 2023
Tarouba [Trinidad], December 22 : West Indies skipper Rovman Powell thanked the fans in Trinidad and Tobago for their support during the West Indies's T20I game.
West Indies registered a 3-2 series win after the Caribbeans defeated England by four wickets in the fifth T20I match at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Friday.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Powell accepted that they failed to perform in their previous two games.
The Caribbean skipper showered praise on Shai Hope and said that he was an important batter in Trinidad.
Powell added that he tried to lead from the front. He added that the players also respect him.
"Special thanks to the crowd of Trinidad and Tobago. We spent some time yesterday. We had some meetings. The last two games, the guys didn't execute. We always knew Hope would be an important batter in this wicket. Credit to the groundsmen across the series. We as players are unhappy so many times. Motie was very good. Was good to mix experience with youth. I have a good bunch of guys around me. I try to lead from the front and they respect me so much," Powell said.
Recapping the match, after winning the toss, West Indies asked England to bat first at the Brian Lara Stadium.
English opener Philip Salt (38 runs from 22 balls) failed to continue his remarkable form but still smashed 5 fours and 1 six. Liam Livingstone (28 runs from 29 balls) and Moeen Ali (23 balls from 21 balls) also tried to boost the visitors' run rate. But the English side did not fare too well against the West Indies bowling attack and could only score 132/10 in 19.3 overs.
Gudakesh Motie led the home side's bowling attack and bagged three wickets in his four-over spell. After two disappointing matches, the Caribbean bowlers prevailed in the fifth T20I match.
In the run chase, West Indies opener Johnson Charles (27 runs from 22 balls) started well to set the tone of the game. Later, Hope (43* runs from 43 balls) and Sherfane Rutherford (30 runs from 24 balls) made a crucial partnership to chase the target. Hope stayed on the crease till the last moment and ended the game by smashing a six-over deep cover.
Reece Topley and Adil Rashid took two wickets each in their respective spells.
