West Indies skipper Rovman Powell opened up after his side were eliminated from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 on Monday.
The Windies suffered a loss in their final Super 8 game in Antigua against South Africa and consequently failed to qualify for the semi-finals.
Speaking after the match, Powell said that their batting let them down during the match.
“Credit has to be given to the boys, they fought till the very end,” Powell said after the match.
“As a batting group, this is a performance you'd want to forget. We did not bat well in the middle. It was not an easy wicket, especially to get started. In the middle overs, we lost wickets in clusters. That broke the back of our batting team,” he added.
However, he lauded the bowlers for putting up a good show.
“It was a commendable bowling effort. We said we wanted to give it our all. They [the team] believed even if it was only 135,” he said.
Powell was also satisfied with the team’s progress over the recent past.
“When you look on a large scale, we have not won the World Cup or in the semi-final, but if you look at the cricket we have played in the last 15 months, to go from No.9 to No.3 in the rankings, it is commendable. There is a lot of buzz in the Caribbean around West Indian cricket, and now is where the work starts. Continue to work together as a group and make the Caribbean people proud,” he further stated.
He also thanked the crowd for supporting his team throughout the tournament.
“They [crowd] have been fantastic. Every venue we have played and all the social media likes and stuff they have given us, we really appreciate that as a team. Good to see some buzz is back and for long, it had died down. Now, people are rallying around the players. When we hear the anthem, as players, we feel something and that is heading in the right direction. Thanks to the people of Antigua for coming out [tonight]. Not just people in Antigua but to everyone in the Caribbean, thanks for coming out,” Powell concluded.
- Rovman Powell
