‘A natural progression’ for Rovman Powell

Since progressing onto the international stage in 2015 Powell’s game has evolved to the point where he is amongst the most pursued elite T20 cricketers playing at the highest level.

Described a real student of the game, the explosive right-hand middle-order batter is said to always be a natural leader, and it did not come as a surprise when he was promoted to the captaincy of the Jamaica 50-over team and later the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 franchise, the Jamaica Tallawahs.

In fact from his youth days playing schoolboy cricket at this alma mater Old Harbour High School, Powell has led at all levels.

That his overall progression as a player and leader came together in such remarkable fashion in the 10th season of the CPL T20 tournament was telling as well. 

“This season is a very good season for him, his leadership qualities have shown especially this season. I know personally that he had it in him because I saw him at a tender age,” said former Jamaica wicketkeeper/batsman Keith Hibbert. “He captained the under-14, under-16, and under-19 teams and he showed good leadership qualities. He knows how to get the boys rally around him and you could see from a tender age that he is a natural leader. Listening to his interviews, and how articulate he was answering the questions, I’m very proud of him.”

Playing in his third season as captain of the Tallawahs, Powell steered a youthful squad that was given no chance of reaching the playoffs let alone winning the prized crown. But they defied all odds to register one of the biggest shocks in CPL T20 history when they defeated the Barbados Royals in the grand finale.

Though his performance this season was overshadowed somewhat by teammates Brandon King, Fabian Allen and Mohammad Amir, Powell’s captaincy shone brightest.

Orane Kelly has been the head coach of cricket at Old Harbour High for more than a decade and was there when Powell entered its gates at 33 South Street for the first time. Speaking about one of the best young talents he had ever coached, Kelly said of Powell’s leading the Tallawahs to their first CPL title since 2016: “We know that his ability to lead the team is very good and also he uses that in his game.”

Kelly described Powell as a humble guy who is willing to listen to not only the coach but the players around him, qualities he innately displayed from the first day they met.

For this campaign the Tallawahs had two West Indies legends of the game in Sir Curtly Ambrose and Shivnarine Chanderpaul as integral parts of the coaching setup. For many the duo represented the perfect masters behind a band of starlets led by Powell who reveled in this opportunity to learn from two of the greatest cricket minds to ever play the game.

Powell said he played his best T20 knocks in the CPL when his 38-ball unbeaten 44 steered the Tallawahs to a four-wicket win over the Guyana Amazon Warriors. It was an innings in which he had to adapt to the turning St Kitts pitch while facing the spin trio of Tabraiz Shamsi, Imran Tahir and Gudakesh Motie.

“Seeing him doing it is a natural progression,” added Hibbert, now a physical education teacher at Old Harbour High.

Powell (15 not out) was at the wicket with Brandon King (83 not out) when the latter hit the winning run to join the Trinbago Knight Riders as the most successful franchise in the history of the tournament.

“In his third year as Tallawahs captain he has shown great improvement over the years from the first year he captained the team and to now; and also the players rally around him this year to ensure that his job was little bit easier,” Kelly noted.

“His form with the bat was instrumental in guiding the team to victory as well. He had a good season and going forward he had nothing more to do but ensure he keeps the discipline, keeps his composure and humility because he’s a humble person and player. That is why the team rally around him so much because he’s a player and captain who you can go to and work out situations.”

At age 29, Powell is into his peak years as a player and it is expected of him to get better. A frightening situation for opposing bowlers but a development that cricket lovers especially here in the West Indies await with bated breath, as the region yearns for a leader capable of taking them to another world title.

As vice-captain in the current West Indies T20 World Cup squad, much is expected of him as a senior player in the team.

“I’m very proud of him because I know where he’s coming from in terms of his whole development from a poor background with a single mom who took good care of him,” Hibbert said.

“I’m expecting him to remain humble because he’s a very humble young man, he’s very talented but he’s also very humble and that’s what I love about him and he can only go from strength to strength.”