BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Left-handed opener Kieran Powell says he is “disappointed” but not “surprised” by his non-selection to the West Indies squad for the first Test against England next month.
The Leeward Islands Hurricanes stroke-maker was overlooked as the Desmond Haynes-led panel this week recalled Jamaica Scorpions left-hander John Campbell to partner captain Kraigg Brathwaite at the top of the order.
Powell, who has played 44 Tests but only four inside the last three-and-a-half years – all coming last year – said he believed he had done enough in the opening rounds of the Regional Four-Day Championship to at least make the Cricket West Indies President’s XI squad for that four-day game next week in Antigua.
“Surprised? I can’t be surprised anymore. Disappointed, yes, but I wouldn’t say surprised,” said Powell, who has in the past criticised CWI over his treatment by selectors.
“I definitely thought that if I didn’t make the Test squad then [at least] the President’s XI squad based on the performances.
“But I saw Devon Thomas batted the way no one else in the Caribbean batted in those first two games [of the Regional Four-Day Championship].
“And if the team is going to be selected on performances, the way he has played it’s second to none, so you would like to think that he would’ve gotten into the squad as well so it’s just interesting. But it is what it is unfortunately.”
Powell averaged 48 from three innings in opening two rounds, including a half-century against Guyana Harpy Eagles last week.
He managed a half-century in the second Test against South Africa last June but scored 32 runs from his next four Tests innings and was subsequently dropped for the tour of Sri Lanka towards the end of the year.
The 31-year-old, who holds the distinction of having scored a hundred in each innings of a Test against Bangladesh 10 years ago, said managing the form he did recently had come against the odds, especially having to deal with illness in the family.
“Obviously I could have done better but I think from what preparation I did have going into the series [I am pleased],” he told Starcom Radio’s Mason and Guests cricket show.
“Before the series I was out in Sri Lanka with my wife’s family. My mother-in-law almost passed away. She had life-saving surgery which kind of took my focus away from preparation.
“And then my wife and I actually contracted COVID. I think I tested negative three days before the Leeward Islands’ final two days of preparation.
“And having to fly all the way from Sri Lanka to the Caribbean – I hadn’t touched a bat for three-and-a-half weeks before the season. So I only had two, three days of practice and I think I’m number seven on the runs chart [in the four-day tournament] at the moment.
“To have been able to do that with three days of practice and the turmoil obviously – almost losing my mother-in-law who is [now] on a six-month rehab process in terms of getting better – it was a lot so I’m pretty happy with where I was able to get to.”
With no chance to impress selectors again with the first class season now on break, Powell said the wait to resume competitive cricket again would be frustrating.
“[I’m] obviously very disappointed the season was halted after two matches because if you would’ve seen cricket not being played for two years and guys were so excited to get back out on the park,” he said.
“And the level of cricket the Leeward Islands played in those two matches. I think we had a few tough decisions against Barbados … and I had a tough decision in that match as well.”
West Indies face England in the first Test in Antigua from March 8-12.
