West Indies captain Rovman Powell has praised the improvements made to the pitch at Guyana National Stadium and expressed optimism that it will reflect the standard of surfaces across the region for the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup.
Powell’s confidence is bolstered by recent high-scoring games at the venue, suggesting it could favor batsmen more than in the past.
In previous years, the Providence pitch was known for being low and slow, which was challenging for batsmen. However, two Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches last year saw scores exceeding 200 runs, raising Powell’s hopes that the pitch has become more conducive to run-scoring.
West Indies will face Papua New Guinea in their Group C opener at the venue on Sunday, marking the start of the historic 20-team tournament being co-hosted by the United States for the first time.
Good pitches for the duration of the World Cup
“I think five years ago, it would have been such a spinning ground that it would be spin-based,” Powell noted. “But over the last two or three years, Providence has become a place where batters start to like batting. So we expect … we also have a lot of faith in the groundsmen that they will prepare good wickets … they have prepared good wickets here for CPL where you get scores close to 200 or just over 200.”
Powell emphasized the importance of good pitches for the duration of the World Cup, not just for West Indies but for all participating teams. “This is a World Cup [and] we expect them to continue to provide good wickets not just for us as West Indians, not just for Papua New Guinea tomorrow, but for the whole duration of the World Cup. It’s West Indies on show. We would want to put on a proper show, whether it be from a curating standpoint or a cricketing standpoint.”
The last two T20 Internationals at Providence against India last year saw a high score of 164, with the venue record being England’s 191 against West Indies in the 2010 T20 World Cup.
Appointed captain 16 months ago, Powell highlighted the need for flexibility in T20 cricket, especially in the Caribbean. “I think cricket – T20 cricket in the Caribbean – you have to be a little flexible. There will come a time when you have to bat first on these wickets, and there will come a time when you have to chase. It’s just being flexible. And whatever you do in the Caribbean, you just have to do it well.”
A challenging place for foreign teams to play
He noted that the Caribbean is known for being a challenging place for foreign teams to play, stressing that execution, whether batting first or second, is crucial. “The Caribbean isn’t an easy place for foreigners to come and play cricket, and we have seen that over the duration of cricket in the Caribbean. I think whatever we do, we have to do it good – whether it be batting first or batting second – and I think that’s the same sentiment that goes out for the other teams that are in the World Cup.”
Facing Papua New Guinea, ranked 20th in the ICC T20 charts, Powell emphasized the importance of starting the tournament with a win to build confidence within the team. “It’s very, very important. Any World Cup campaign you play, you want to start off with a winning note. You want to start off with getting your feet wet from a winning perspective. Winning drives confidence within the group, and it’s important for us to start on a winning note.”
Powell hopes for favorable weather conditions to ensure a smooth start to their World Cup campaign. “So definitely that is something high on our agenda. So hopefully tomorrow the rain can stay away and West Indies can play close to a pretty good game.”
