Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
WHEN JAMAICA open their hunt for the honours in the regional Carib Beer Series, they will be without Ricardo Powell.
After marrying a Trinidadian, residing in Trinidad for the past few years and now in business there, the hard-hitting batsman out of St. Elizabeth, Holmwood Technical and Kingston Cricket Club decided to make himself available to represent Trinidad and Tobago and when Jamaica take on Trinidad and Tobago between February 12 and 15 in his backyard at Alpart, instead of hoping that Powell will score some runs, Jamaica will be doing everything to get him out for as few runs as possible.
In many respects, and especially as top batsmen Christopher Gayle and Wavell Hinds will not be available for most of the matches, Jamaica will miss Powell - not only for his batting, his exciting strokeplay, not only for his brilliance in the field, but although he was grossly under-used, also for his offspin bowling.
TRINIDAD'S GAIN
Jamaica's loss, however, is Trinidad and Tobago's gain - even though, as stated by Omar Khan, he will have to earn a place on the team.
According to the T&T manager, Powell will not be guaranteed a place in the Trinidad and Tobago team, his selection will not be automatic, he will have to win a place and although he would have been a sure pick on the strongest Jamaica team, that is understandable.
Such are Powell's skills, however, that it is a safe bet he will get into the team, and that like Clyde Walcott - the Barbadian who represented Guyana, Wes Hall - the Trinidadian who represented Trinidad and Tobago, Frank Worrell - the Barbadian who represented Jamaica, and Teddy Griffith - the Barbadian who represented Jamaica, he will make a wonderful contribution to his adopted country's cricket.
Although Jamaicans are disappointed that Powell, for obvious and good reasons, will not be batting, fielding and bowling for Jamaica, the consensus is that they wish him well - certainly as far as West Indies cricket is concerned.
In fact, as far as his West Indies career is concerned, the move may well be a good one.
One of the most exciting players in the world, Powell, despite those who claim that he has not been treated well by the West Indies selectors, has not fulfilled his promise - not for Jamaica, and with only one Test appearance, not in one-day internationals.
For a man who, very early in his career, scored a quick-fire 80 against Barbados after going to bat at three for three after Jamaica had followed on in a Busta Cup match at Kensington Oval in 1999, who smashed 114 not out of a total of 206 against Barbados after joining the action at 25 for three in the next match - the semi-finals, and who, in only his fifth one-day international, hit a magnificent, match-winning 124 (eight sixes, nine fours, 93 balls) versus India in Singapore in 1999, a record of 1,147 runs at an average of 24.240 in first-class cricket, and 1,550 runs at an average of 25.50 in one-day internationals is simply disappointing, and according to many an observer, there are three reasons for that.
One reason is that he is weak to good spin bowling, one is that his stroke selection is poor, one is that he gets carried away by the crowd and, if that is so, then playing club cricket in Trinidad and Tobago and playing for Trinidad and Tobago could be good for him.
It could be good for three reasons. One is that he will be playing against relatively good spin bowlers on pitches that help spin bowlers and that should improve his technique and his ability to properly judge what deliveries he should attempt to hit out of the ground and what deliveries he should not; one is that he will not be at home where his fans love to see him hit the ball, where some beg him to hit the ball; and one is that as an outsider trying to get into and to stay in the Trinidad and Tobago team, he will have to perform, and perform consistently.
At age 25, there is still time for Powell to fulfil his early promise and although they would have preferred it if he had decided to continue wearing the Jamaica cap, in the interest of batsmanship - exciting batting, in the interest of West Indies cricket, Jamaicans should wish all the best to one of the most talented, most exciting and nicest cricketers to have represented Jamaica.
