Follow UsA confident West Indies skipper Rovman Powell was assertive and cheeky in the press conference ahead of his side’s clash against New Zealand on June 12 (Wednesday), claiming that the the pressure, heading into the game, will be ‘firmly’ on the Kiwis, who find themselves in a precarious position in this T20 World Cup due to their horror showing against Afghanistan.
The Blackcaps began their T20WC 2024 campaign against Afghanistan in Guyana and it proved to be a clash to forget for the Kiwis as they got hammered by 84 runs in a game that saw them get bowled out for their lowest ever total in T20WC history.
New Zealand can still make it through to the Super 8s if they win their remaining three games, but the beating that their NRR took against Afghanistan (which is -4.200 now) has left them in a big spot of bother.
Speaking ahead of the big game, Powell said that the Windies will focus on themselves but admitted that it’s a ‘good’ time to be playing New Zealand.
“Yeah, yeah, definitely. If there's a good time to play New Zealand I think it's now,” Powell said ahead of the game.
“As you mentioned they're a little bit undercooked, the pressure is really on them because this game decides whether they go on yes or no - but having said that we're not focusing on New Zealand we're focusing on what we have to do and once you do what we have to do then that will take care of itself.”
One big threat the Windies will have to deal with on Wednesday is that of Trent Boult, who actually will enter this clash on the back of decent form. The BlackCaps had a game to forget against Afghanistan but Boult still sizzled, returning figures of 2/22.
Powell, Boult’s teammate at RR, knows all about the left-armer’s threat, but the Windies skipper asserted that, with the help of analysts, his side will look to ‘mitigate the threat of Boult’.
“I think not just playing at RR, cricket is a global sport now, with a lot of technologies around, so everything you do in every single game is available to everyone around the world. Thankfully for us we have very good analysts who have figured out some of the strengths and weaknesses of Trent Boult,” Powell said.
“So hopefully tomorrow we can mitigate his strengths and try to capitalise.”
Roston Chase did not get to bat or bowl in the one-sided clash against Uganda, but the all-rounder will be a key member for the Windies heading into the clash against the Kiwis. He was Player of the Match in WI’s first game against Papua New Guinea, and is having an outrageous year so far, averaging 178 while striking at 154.0. He’s also taken four wickets with the ball at an economy of 5.92.
Powell was full of praise for the 32-year-old, who he believes adds much-needed depth, balance and versatility to this West Indian line-up.
“I think Roston comes in with a lot of quality,” Powell said.
“We wanted a sixth bowling option for bowling and I think Roston gave us that cushion. And also, what is beneficial for us is the batting and how he goes about batting.
“He's one of those guys who are not power hitters and he's surrounded by a lot of power hitters, so hopefully he can be the glue for us in which he's locked one end and the power hitters can flourish around him.”
The clash between West Indies and New Zealand on Wednesday will be the first encounter in this T20WC at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. It’s recently been a happy hunting ground for the Windies, who have won two of their last three clashes there.
Powell said his side will take confidence from how they’ve fared at this venue in recent times.
“Those performances give us confidence. It gives us confidence in knowing that it's our condition and we understand the condition. The results have gone our way here at Brian-Lara Stadium.
“So, I think that is additional confidence for us, that they have prepared different surfaces here at Brian Lara and we have played on it. So that's very good for us as a team.”
With a win against New Zealand, West Indies will seal Super 8s qualification.
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