Powell has led West Indies to series victories over India, England and South Africa
Former Chennai Super Kings allrounder Dwayne Bravo came down heavily on the Cricket West Indies (CWI) for their decision to sack Rovman Powell as West Indies’ T20I captain and replacing him with Shai Hope.
Powell, who took over the full-time captaincy in March, 2023 and led the Windies to victory in 19 of the 37 matches he was the skipper.
The sudden decision followed by social media posts and a statement by CWI director Miles Bascombe didn’t go down well with Bravo, who called the latest decision as ‘one of the worst decisions ever’.
In the statement, Boscombe said that Hope was marked to take over the reins from Powell on advice of head coach and T20 World Cup winning captain Darren Sammy.
“I have expressed to him (Powell) that he ought to feel dignified by his contributions to West Indies cricket, as he has played a crucial role in elevating our T20 team to new heights. His leadership has left a strong foundation, and we are grateful for his efforts,” Bascombe said.
Sammy added to it by saying:
“As the team continues its evolution, Hope blends instinctive decision-making with analytical precision, using in-depth match data and player-performance insights to shape strategy.”
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Under Powell’s captaincy West Indies registered T20I series wins over South Africa twice and beat India and England.
Bravo, who is currently the mentor at Indian Premier League (IPL) defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, took to ‘X’ to criticise the CWI.
“@windiescricket once again you guys prove to the people of the Caribbean and the cricket world that the injustices towards players continues! As a former player and a fan of WI cricket, this is easily one of the worst decisions ever. [Powell] taking over captaincy when our T20 team was in 9th spot and was able to move up to 3rd sport in the rankings and this is how you guys repay him. The bad treatment towards players when would it Stop! This is so sad on all levels..make it make sense!,” Bravo posted.
Powell had last captained the Windies in the three-match home series against Bangladesh in December last year which they lost by 0-3.
Besides the change in the T20I leadership, West Indies also saw Kraigg Brathwaite step down as the Test captain after eight years. The top-order batter had led West Indies in 39 Tests, won 10 and lost 22.
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