Young Tallawahs all-rounder hails Sangakkara

By Avenash Ramzan

Young Jamaica Tallawahs batting all-rounder Rovman Powell has hailed the presence of Sri Lanka batting giant Kumar Sangakkara in the franchise line-up for this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), noting that the left-hander has had a positive effect on the young players.

The 22-year-old Powell, who made his maiden appearance in the CPL this year, said Sangakkara’s contribution to the Tallawahs goes way beyond his on-field exploits.

“I think Kumar Sangakkara is more than just a cricketer to us at the Jamaica Tallawahs,” Powell said on the eve of the Jamaica Tallawahs game against host Guyana Amazon Warriors this evening.

“He’s also an ambassador for cricket; he’s also an ambassador for batting. In that department he would sit down with us as young players and show us the ways and means to build a good innings, and persons like that are what we need in the Caribbean, where in situations that he has been in he can give us advice, and we as youngsters are grateful for that.”

A modern-day great and former captain and wicketkeeper for Sri Lanka, Sangakkara has amassed 12,400 Test runs at average of 57.40 with 38 hundreds, and 14,234 ODI runs at an average of 41.98 with 25 centuries. In domestic T20s, the 38-year-old has racked up 5,070 runs in 196 games at a strike rate of 126. He has a highest score of 94 among 29 half-centuries.

According to Powell, the presence of a player of such calibre has no doubt inspired confidence amongst the players, especially the younger ones now wetting their feet at the senior domestic level.

Speaking on his personal ambitions as a player, Powell said the CPL has provided him with a platform to boost his game, and take it to another level.

“I use the CPL as a means to showcase my talent. The viewing audience is a large pool and for me as a youngster to get into the CPL and showcase what I have to not just West Indies cricket [fans], but cricket on a whole is a good experience for me. Definitely, the CPL has done alot for my career thus far,” Powell asserted.

He added, “I’ve seen a gradual improvement [in my career]. I’ve played First-Class cricket over the last two years and I’ve matured as player, and that’s why the Tallawahs have put so much responsibility on me as a player.”

Powell is right-handed batsman and medium-fast bowler, who has appeared for the Combined Campuses and Colleges in regional cricket. He played his lone First-Class match against Guyana last season, scoring 23 and 13.

In List A cricket, he has played eight games, scoring 223 runs with two fifties, at an average of 37, and picked up four wickets at 47. So far in the CPL, Powell has batted twice, scoring four against St Kitts Patriots and 12 not out against Trinbago Knight Riders, including a six to seal the win.