A Look Back at Powell’s Captaincy

May 17, 2025

During Cricket West Indies’ Quarterly Press Conference on 31st March 2025, it was announced that two of the international team captains were stepping down: Kraigg Brathwaite from Tests and Rovman Powell from T20I. At the time of writing, a replacement for the Test captain hadn’t been named, but ODI superstar Shai Hope has been promoted to the T20I role.

Rovman Powell’s demotion, voluntary or not, has come as a shock to cricket fans across the region. His captaincy, twinned with the coaching of Darren Sammy, had made T20I arguably the most stable of the three formats. A marketing campaign by CWI highlighted the T20I team’s ranking improvements in the lead up to the last T20 World Cup, which reinforced a sense of security. Sadly, it was short-lived.

Now that Powell has left the role, we can take a moment to reflect on his tenure as captain and its impact on the squad.

The Context of Powell’s Appointment

It is impossible to comprehend the legacy and pitfalls of the Powell era without taking previous iterations of the T20 squad into consideration.

The global landscape was in flux following the COVID-19 pandemic, and Cricket West Indies was no exception. The pandemic postponed the 2020 T20 World Cup to 2021, creating an unusual schedule that forced two T20 World Cups to occur within months of each other. This put immense pressure on West Indies, the reigning champions from 2016, to defend their title.

At the 2021 T20 World Cup, Kieron Pollard led an ageing squad featuring veterans such as Chris Gayle, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, and Andre Fletcher. The squad’s average age was 31.1 years, but experience didn’t translate into results. They only won one match in the tournament (against Bangladesh by three runs) and suffered a string of humiliating defeats, including being bowled out for 55 against England. The fallout was severe, prompting several players, including Pollard, to retire.

Nicholas Pooran was appointed captain in May 2022, but his tenure was even more disastrous. At the 2022 T20 World Cup, West Indies failed to qualify for the main event, finishing last in a group that included Ireland, Scotland, and Zimbabwe. This marked a new low for the team, and Pooran immediately stepped down as captain.

Was that warranted? Absolutely. But I doubt anyone could have predicted that West Indies would be on their third T20I captain in ten months.

In 2023, Rovman Powell stepped into the role. The team was in dire straits: ranking low, struggling in major tournaments, and losing the trust of fans. Frustration ran so deep that some supporters jokingly suggested replacing cricket pitches with cassava or ganja fields. Strong leadership was crucial, and Powell, an explosive middle-order batter with franchise cricket experience, was seen as the right person to restore resilience and aggression to the squad.

His appointment also coincided with Darren Sammy’s tenure as head coach, a move that signalled a shift towards rekindling the fearless approach that once defined West Indies T20 cricket. The goal was clear: rebuild, regain respectability, and most importantly, prepare for the 2024 T20 World Cup, which was set to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA.

Road to the World Cup

Under Powell’s leadership, the team showed glimpses of improvement. A notable aspect of his tenure was the strategic emphasis on power-hitting, a trait long associated with West Indies cricket. His captaincy also allowed for the emergence and further development of younger players, who stepped up at crucial moments during bilateral series against teams like South Africa and India.

Powell’s first assignment as captain was a series in South Africa that was a resounding success. While a winning margin of 2-1 does not sound particularly impressive, the team’s new big-hitting mentality was consistently on display. They maintained strike rates of 11-13 across all three games, with standout performances from Johnson Charles, Kyle Mayers, Alzarri Joseph, and Powell himself, who scored an unbeaten 43 at a strike rate of 239. Though the favourable pitch conditions played a role, the message was clear: rebuilding through controlled aggression was the way forward.

Following the series win in South Africa, Rovman led the team to back-to-back series wins at home against India (3-2) and England (3-2). One of his strengths was leading from the front. On multiple occasions, he played match-winning knocks that demonstrated his ability to thrive under pressure. His aggressive intent and ability to clear the ropes provided the team with a dynamic middle-order presence, crucial for setting or chasing big totals.

It wasn’t until their fourth series under Powell that West Indies suffered their first significant loss: a 2-1 defeat away in Australia. Given Australia were the reigning World Cup champions, and this was Powell’s first major setback, fans were forgiving. The team rebounded with a 3-0 home whitewash of South Africa.

By the time the 2024 T20 World Cup arrived, Powell’s West Indies had won three of their last four series and were riding a seven-match win streak. While there were valid concerns about the quality of some of their opponents, there was no denying that the team had climbed the rankings and reignited hope among fans.

2024 T20 World Cup

Powell’s 2024 T20WC campaign was a rollercoaster that acted as both a validation of his leadership and an indictment of his tactical shortcomings. On paper, the West Indies dominated their group, but it always felt like they were a hair-trigger away from a loss.

Against Papua New Guinea, the batting lineup faltered, requiring Roston Chase and Andre Russell to salvage a victory. Against Uganda, the team posted 173 runs, but key batters like Pooran and Powell struggled to capitalise. The match against New Zealand further exposed these issues, as West Indies found themselves at 30-5 before Sherfane Rutherford’s heroics snatched a win from the jaws of defeat.

What underscored these matches, apart from the wins, was that the playing XI remained unchanged. Although gaps and weaknesses in the team were being exploited, even by Uganda, Powell’s reluctance to alter the plans and introduce someone like Shai Hope earlier into the tournament left the fanbase feeling uneasy.

Though the next win over Afghanistan was convincing, it was a dead rubber, with West Indies already through to the Super 8 stage. However, any momentum gained was quickly undone by England, who chased down 180 with ease, exposing the team’s toothless bowling attack.

West Indies then dominated the USA, with Shai Hope stepping in for the injured Brandon King and scoring 82 runs. This set up a must-win match against South Africa, which ended in a rain-affected defeat. Their World Cup was over.

Many fans criticised Powell’s inflexible bowling strategy and his inability to alter plans mid-tournament. At times, coach Sammy had to step in with instructions, reinforcing the perception that while Powell was an excellent motivator, he struggled tactically under pressure.

Following West Indies' exit from the T20 World Cup, fans were divided on the team’s performance, with some saying that reaching the finals was a bare minimum, while others considered reaching the Super 8 stage acceptable. Either way, the performance represented a significant improvement.

Despite the World Cup exit, Powell’s West Indies had restored hope. Fans expected the team to push forward by refining their strengths and learning from their mistakes. Instead, what followed was a steep decline that ultimately defined the latter half of Powell’s reign. Rather than learn and grow, West Indies spiralled into inconsistency, raising serious questions about Powell’s leadership and the team’s long-term direction.

Post World Cup Troubles

After the 2024 World Cup, West Indies played four T20I series and only won one of them, losing the last three back-to-back. The team won against South Africa at home, but South Africa had sent an underdeveloped squad to our shores, with debutants like Kwena Maphaka in their ranks. Powell’s performance with the bat was almost a bigger talking point than the performances themselves. Across the two games he batted in, the skipper made scores of 7 off 15 and 35 off 22 for an aggregate of 42 runs from 37 balls.

A seed had been planted. Fans began to question whether Powell’s inconsistency with the bat, particularly when facing spin bowlers, was a reason to leave him out altogether. Was his captaincy the only reason he remained?

The following three series were England at home, Sri Lanka away, and Bangladesh at home, and Powell’s West Indies did not win any of them. In fact, the team got whitewashed against Bangladesh, which was something that many fans found unforgivable.

Some big questions were raised during those three series losses. The team was essentially the same as the one that had graced the 2024 World Cup, so why were they underperforming so horribly in the aftermath? The side seemed unfocused and unconfident, almost as though the losses in the T20WC had traumatised them.

Powell vs Other Captains

Taking everything into consideration, we have to ask a burning question: “How di man stack up against dem others?”

Rovman Powell ends his captaincy with five series wins out of nine and a match-winning percentage of 51.35% after 37 matches. How does that compare to previous captains?

There are only six players who have captained the West Indies T20I side more than ten times, so let’s take a look at their stats.

As shown by the table above, Powell’s captaincy ranks as the second most successful in West Indies T20I history. Although he will not receive the accolades that the Sammy era brought, it would be an injustice to ignore the fact that he is only one of two captains to have a win percentage greater than 50%. Heck, he’s one of only two who have a win percentage over 40%!

So where does that leave us?

Powell’s Legacy

Powell’s tenure as West Indies T20I captain was a tale of resurgence, promise, and ultimately, stagnation. When he took over, the team was in complete disarray following consecutive World Cup failures and a severe loss of public trust. Through his leadership, and an aggressive yet measured approach to T20 cricket, Powell played a key role in reviving West Indies' competitiveness in the format. His leadership in bilateral series wins against top-tier teams like South Africa, India, and England instilled the belief that the team was on the right track.

However, Powell’s limitations as a tactical captain became evident when the stakes were at their highest. While the 2024 T20 World Cup campaign showed signs of progress, his reluctance to make proactive changes, particularly in team selection and bowling strategies, hurt the squad when it mattered most. And despite the optimism post-World Cup, Powell’s West Indies could not sustain the momentum. The sharp decline in performance during the following series, culminating in a whitewash against Bangladesh, erased much of the goodwill he had earned.

Additionally, Powell’s form with the bat was a growing concern. While he had delivered match-winning performances in the past, his inconsistency and well-documented struggles against spin bowling made him a vulnerable link in the team. As the defeats piled up, calls for a change in leadership became harder to ignore.

While his removal as captain may feel somewhat abrupt, it is not without justification. West Indies cricket, particularly in the T20 format, needs continuous evolution and adaptability. Powell was instrumental in steering the team out of one of its darkest periods, but the stagnation that followed suggested that a fresh direction was necessary.

As the Powell era comes to a close, the responsibility now falls on Shai Hope to take the team forward. Whether Hope can succeed where Powell faltered remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Powell’s impact on this West Indies T20 team, for better or worse, will not be forgotten. His tenure was not just about wins and losses, it was about restoring belief in a team that was on the brink of collapse. And for that, Powell deserves recognition.

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