BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, – West Indies all-rounder Rovman Powell sees the upcoming charity match at Lord’s as an audition for next year’s Cricket World Cup tournament in England.
The 24-year-old is part of the West Indies squad for the one-off match against the ICC Rest Of the World XI on May 31, which has been organized to raise funds in aid of stadia damaged by the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September.
“It’s a major match. The reason for it is well known, to help raise funds to help those in need and as cricketers we have a duty to help in every way we can, whenever we can,” Powell said.
“It’s also a full T20 International, so it will go towards your stats, so you have to treat it that way and make sure you play hard and give all you’ve got. As a team it’s a huge game for us.”
For Powell, the match will be his second opportunity to play in England, after suiting up against the hosts in last year’s T20 and ODI series.
The Jamaican, who is still relatively inexperienced at international level with just 23 ODIs and 13 T20Is under his belt, said he planned to use the upcoming match as an eye-opener to next year’s World Cup to be played in England and Wales.
“I don’t have a lot of experience playing in English conditions, so every moment counts. Some people will say it’s just a one-off match but everything you can get from a game, every little bit of experience, is always helpful,” he said.
“We’re determined to do something special at the World Cup. I’ve been really enjoying my time in the team so far. I was happy I made a meaningful contribution in the qualifiers in Zimbabwe to help us reach the World Cup and I want to keep growing and learning as a player and a person.”
Powell was speaking during the West Indies training camp at the 3Ws Oval in Barbados, which involves players preparing for the charity game as well as the upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka in the Caribbean.
And with a heavy playing schedule ahead of the regional side, Powell said it was important players prepared properly for every opportunity.
“It’s a big year ahead, for all formats in West Indies cricket. The upcoming Test series should be very exciting and then we have the ODIs and T20s against Bangladesh at home,” he pointed out.
“Later in the year we go to India [and Bangladesh] and next year England will be coming to here, so that’s a lot of cricket for us and a lot of opportunities for us, as players, to perform great things for the people of the West Indies.”
