“He promised his mom he will take them out of poverty” - Ian Bishop narrates heartwarming tale about DC batter Rovman Powell
Former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop has narrated a touching story about Delhi Capitals (DC) batter Rovman Powell. He recalled that the cricketer promised his mother he would take them out of poverty when he was in secondary school.
The 28-year-old played a crucial cameo of 33* off 16 balls to help DC chase down 147 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 41st match of IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbaion Thursday.
Praising the hard-hitting batter, Bishop explained that a lot of people want him to succeed because they are aware of the hardships he has endured growing up. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, the former pacer said:
“If anyone has the opportunity of 10 minutes to spare, go and look at Rovman Powell’s life story - a video on YouTube. You will see why so many people, including me, are happy that this guy has gotten a taste of the IPL. He has come from humble beginnings. He promised his mom that he will take them out of poverty when he was still in secondary school. He is living that dream to do that. Great story.”
Born in the Bannister District of Old Harbor in Jamaica, Powell, along with his single mother and younger sister, faced a lot of hardships. A documentary produced by the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2020 narrates his emotional rags-to-riches story.
Shifting focus to the cricketer’s batting, Bishop said that he is more than a decent player and added:
“I was trying to think back about his hundred against Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in the Caribbean. He averaged 43 against India with these same spinners in India last February. He has improved a lot, is very good against seam and shows a great temperament.”
Powell had a poor start to his IPL 2022 campaign, registering a mere highest score of 20 in his first five matches for DC, which included two ducks. He found some form with his 15-ball 36 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in a losing cause.
Sharing his views on the West Indies smasher, former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori opined that DC could utilize him better by sending him higher in the order and stated:
“I think Powell can sneak up that order. There is no reason why he cannot get in ahead of someone like a Lalit Yadav.”
The 28-year-old came into bat at No. 6 on Thursday. In Delhi's previous match against RR, he was sent in at No. 8.
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“Desperate win for DC” - Daniel Vettori
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The former Kiwi skipper admitted that Delhi’s performance against KKR had a lot of loopholes. He, however, pointed out that, given their desperation for a win, they would be pleased to walk away with two points. Vettori stated:
“Overall, tonight (Thursday) was only about the win. I don’t think they will debrief too many things that happened in the game. They’ll just enjoy the win. Desperate win for Delhi as they just struggled their way through. They got a couple of cameos here and there and a couple of stumbling moments through those middle stages. Rovman Powell, in the end, just took the game away from them (KKR)."
DC’s win on Thursday was their fourth in IPL 2022 in eight games. KKR, on the other hand, lost their fifth match in a row.