Jamaican Powell says his future is in Trinidad

Hard-hitting West Indies and Jamaican batsman Ricardo Powell has been given the all-clear by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to play for Trinidad and Tobago in the 2004 Carib Beer Cup regionalcricket season.

Yesterday morning the WICB contacted the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) to relay the good news. Powell is married to a Trinidadian, and has been living in in the twin-island republic for the past nine months. He owns an exotic furniture store called Basia in Woodbrook. Speaking to Newsday yesterday the explosive batsman said: “My life and future is now in Trinidad and as such I have decided to play my cricket here. You see nine months now I came to Trinidad after getting married and have since made here my home. “I live at Westmoorings and run a business at Woodbrook so you can see the attachment to the country. Apart from this my wife is pregnant and we are expecting the birth of our first child soon. I now that the people back home will be disappointed but I have to make a decision that will improve my life and this is what I have done,” Powell said yesterday. “Even if I had this interest in the Leewards for example, I would have played for them. At present it is already so hectic when it comes to travelling with the West Indies team, I would have been at a further disadvantage living here and playing for Jamaica,” he said, “A scenario would have occurred where all my games would have been away from home. I have made a decision for the betterment of my life because I cannot play cricket my entire life. I have to look beyond cricket and hence this move is critical to my future,” he said.

Asked if his Jamaican fans would turn hostile if he plays for his adopted country against Jamaica in Jamaica, Powell said: “That is very difficult to say at this time, I don’t know what the reception would be but people have to understand my situation and realise that I have to think about my family. It was a decision made because of my family.” Powell has played 79 One-Day Internationals and one Test for the West Indies. He said he was very keen to play for Trinidad and Tobago and will be getting into the trials this weekend hungry for runs. “I would like to play in the opening match against the Leeward Islands in January and to do this I must sway the selectors in my favour. I am ready to score runs for Trinidad and Tobago and I will be giving my best on the field for the country,” he said. “As you know the One-Day Internationals in South Africa start at the end of January and I don’t know when I will have to leave to play for the West Indies. I would be available for the first match and I hope to be on the team,” Powell said. Chairman of the national selection panel, Dudnath Ramkeesoon said Powell had an excellent chance of playing for Trinidad and Tobago in the upcoming Carib Cup. “It is a plus for our cricket that Powell is now available to play for Trinidad and Tobago and we are very happy to have him with us. “His experience will help our team a lot and he will be able to add to the depth of our team. He is an excellent fielder and a decent spinner, so we are looking forward to him playing for our country.”

Manager of the national team Omar Khan also welcomed the move. “Powell will add professionalism to our team and will be a key for the us while our other senior players are away on Test duty. On one can just walk into the team so we look forward to having him play in the trials and practise with the team in order to get on and once he impresses the selectors he will be on the team for the first match against the Leewards,” Khan said. “We have a number of young players on the team and his experience will help them in the tough series ahead. We are very happy that he is with us and we are looking forward to a fruitful partnership,” Khan said. Powell will be playing today for the Shazam Babwah team when the second cricket trial bowls off at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva. The first match was washed out without a ball being bowled.