West Indies Rovman Powell on vital T20 World Cup clash with New Zealand

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West Indies captain Rovman Powell previews their vital ICC T20 Cricket World Cup clash with New Zealand. A win would all but secure the hosts a super 8 spot Brian Lara Academy, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the Match Day Minus One press conference with

00:13the West Indies T20I captain, Ravman Powell, ahead of our match tomorrow against New Zealand

00:21to be played at this venue, the Brian Lowry Cricket Academy.

00:24There's a microphone in the crowd, so I'm just going to allow you guys to proceed.

00:28Ravman, two good wins so far, well, of course, the first one a bit shaky, but two wins, main

00:35thing is four points.

00:37Next game against New Zealand, a virtual do or die.

00:41What is the spirit in the camp like going into that game?

00:43How confident are the boys?

00:45I think we're pretty confident.

00:46You know, the boys have been playing some very good cricket.

00:49You know, New Zealand will pose different challenges from our first two opponents.

00:54You know, but having said that, once we play, we're just focusing on ourselves.

00:59And once we play good cricket, we should be OK.

01:02OK, all right.

01:05Well, we know that Akeel Hossain was quite potent in the last game against Uganda.

01:12Any big expectations from him tomorrow and how we expect the pitch to play?

01:16Yeah, definitely.

01:17We expect not just Akeel Hossain, but all the players to come to the party and show

01:22why they are a part of the World Cup team.

01:24You understand?

01:25Akeel Hossain did very well for us the last game, and the credit has to be given to him

01:29to see the hard work that he's put in.

01:31And he has finally reaped some reward in this competition.

01:34Good afternoon.

01:35The two games that we would have won would have been against two of the associate teams

01:42and now coming up against two of the stronger teams in the group, starting with New Zealand

01:47tomorrow.

01:48A lot of talk in social media, a lot of the fans expressed their concern against Afghanistan

01:56and New Zealand.

01:57But what are your thoughts on the West Indies who have to step up their cricket now, seeing

02:04that we are playing some stronger teams?

02:07Step up their cricket.

02:08I think if you should look on the last year, the last 12 or 14 months, West Indies have

02:14played very good T20 cricket.

02:16So it's just a continuation of us doing that, even though it's a World Cup.

02:20The guys have done a lot of hard work coming into this World Cup, so hopefully we can show

02:26that hard work.

02:27It's two of the more traditional nations, Afghanistan and New Zealand.

02:32But I think once we focus on ourselves, we should be OK.

02:35Captain, you all played England here last year, did some high scores in those games.

02:42How much did those performances influence your strategy heading into this one here tomorrow?

02:50Those performances give us confidence.

02:52It gives us confidence in knowing that it's our condition and we understand the condition.

02:58The results have gone our way here at Bryan Larratt Stadium.

03:02I think that is additional confidence for us, that they have prepared different surfaces

03:08here at Bryan Larratt and we have played on it.

03:10So that's very good for us as a team.

03:12And the expectations, you're expecting bigger scores at Bryan Larratt?

03:17To be honest, I'm not sure, especially with the rain around, that can play a part in scores

03:24because if the groundsmen don't have sufficient time to produce good wickets, that's also

03:29a problem.

03:30And with the rain around also, the wicket don't get enough time to sun.

03:36Hopefully tomorrow is a very good day in terms of the weather and it's a night game, so some

03:42sun tomorrow will do us well.

03:46Obviously the expectations have been growing among the fans, among the players, that you

03:49all will do well in this World Cup.

03:51How is the team managing those expectations heading into a big clash like this?

03:55I think those expectations are on the back of us playing good T20 cricket, which has

04:00resulted us to be ranked number four in the world now.

04:04It's for us to continue to manage those expectations.

04:07I think the guys have done that.

04:09We are at home, so obviously expectations and pressure is always there.

04:14But it's just for us to keep on playing good cricket and keep on entertaining the fans.

04:21In terms of the team, is the entire team fit and healthy?

04:25Any injury concerns ahead of the game tomorrow?

04:27No, absolutely no injury concern.

04:29All 15 players are up for selection.

04:34Ruffman, I just wanted to ask, as a squad, what it means to you all to be playing this

04:38World Cup on home soil?

04:39I'm sure a lot of you would have watched the World Cup here in 2010 and grown up and sort

04:44of dreamed of this.

04:45I think when you look on the benefits of playing a World Cup at home for West Indies cricket,

04:51let me start there, it's an enormous benefit.

04:55If we should go on and win the World Cup, it's the first team to have won a T20 World

04:59Cup at home.

05:00Also, if you look on it from a financial standpoint, the boost West Indies cricket economy and

05:07how beneficial it is for so many different islands to be getting international cricket

05:11and international cricket of such good standards.

05:15That in itself is a beneficial factor for us and also for us as players, it's an opportunity

05:20for us to cement our place in West Indies cricket folklore.

05:25Playing a World Cup on home soil, not just myself as captain, but all the guys, I think

05:29will be remembered for such achievement.

05:32You obviously had a few of the guys in the squad playing in their home nation in Guyana

05:36and then similar here with Hussain and Puran, have you sort of sensed the excitement from

05:40them about playing at home in front of friends and family, that sort of thing?

05:44Yeah, yeah, definitely.

05:45That's the beauty of West Indies, you know, it's the only sport that we play collectively,

05:50so therefore there are different guys from different islands and the support for those

05:53guys and by extension the team is enormous.

05:56You know, when we were in Guyana, the way they supported the five Guyanese who are a

06:00part of the team was very, very good and by extension the team.

06:04Now we are in Trinidad, Nicholas, Puran, Hakeel, Hussain and all the lovers of cricket will

06:10be here tomorrow to support us.

06:13And just lastly, do you feel this is a good time to be playing New Zealand?

06:17Obviously they had a heavy defeat in their first game and looked a little bit undercooked.

06:20Yeah, yeah, definitely.

06:21You know, if there is a good time to play New Zealand, I think it's now.

06:25You know, as you mentioned, they are a little bit undercooked.

06:28The pressure is really on them because, you know, this game decides whether they go on

06:33yes or no.

06:34But having said that, we're not focusing on New Zealand, you know, we're focusing on what

06:38we have to do and once we do what we have to do, then that will take care of itself.

06:43Having played with RR, do you think you have an advantage of knowing what Trent Boult has

06:47to offer?

06:49Yeah, I think not just playing at RR, you know, cricket is a global sport now where

06:54a lot of technology is around, you know, so everything you do in every single game is

06:58available to everyone around the world.

07:01You know, thankfully for us, we have very good analysts who have figured out some of

07:05the strengths and weaknesses of Trent Boult.

07:08So hopefully tomorrow we can mitigate his strengths and try to capitalise.

07:15Ruston Chase has come in very good for the Westerners, even with the home series against

07:20South Africa and the two matches that we have had here so far.

07:24Tell me about Ruston Chase and the value that a player like Ruston Chase brings to the team.

07:28Yeah, I think Ruston comes in with a lot of quality.

07:32You know, we wanted a six bowling option for our bowling and I think Ruston gave us that

07:39cushion.

07:40And also what is beneficial for us is the batting and how he goes about batting.

07:45You know, he's one of those guys who are not power hitters and he's surrounded by a lot

07:49of power hitters.

07:50So hopefully he can be the glue for us in which he's locked one end and the power hitters

07:56can flourish around him.

08:00Robyn, just a couple of questions from our media who are not able to be with us here

08:06today.

08:07Ian from Sportstar asks if you could provide your insight on how the pitches have behaved

08:11thus far.

08:13And do you think that the transition from the pitches in Guyana to the possible good

08:18surfaces here in Trinidad and then St. Lucia offer any advantage to the West Indies?

08:23I think, to be honest, the pitches in Guyana were a little bit disappointing.

08:27Disappointing in the sense that we have played CPL there for years.

08:30So we were excited to be in Guyana and play in Guyana.

08:35But you know, those things happen.

08:37It's something that we as players can't control.

08:40And then in Trinidad, probably it won't be any different, especially with so much weather

08:44around.

08:45You know, but whatever surface it's presented before us tomorrow, we still have to be professional

08:50and try to find a way to win.

08:53And Carlton Brown from the Cricket Forum is asking, on a scale of 1 to 10, how confident

08:58are the group of winning tomorrow's match?

09:01The guys are extremely confident, you know, we'll put it to a scale of 10.

09:05As I said before, we are playing very good cricket, you know, and it's just for us to

09:09continue to play good cricket.

09:10And hopefully the rain gives us a game tomorrow, because as we're speaking now, it's pouring

09:16outside.

09:17Robman, that's it from what I had collected, and I think we have exerted all the questions

09:23within the room.

09:24I want to say thank you for your time, making yourself available for this press conference

09:28and thank you to everyone else in the room for taking time out to be here with us as

09:32well.

09:33We look forward to a game tomorrow.

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