Darren Powell is Sammy2 obv.
Daren Powell is predicting a 3-0 Test series win by the West Indies over England and is anxious to play his part in a big way to ensure that the prediction isn't mere idle talk.
"I am definitely looking for a 3-0 series win over England in the Test series and we are going to beat them also in the one-day series," Powell told the Observer in an interview yesterday.
"They (England) made some comments about us after our last tour of England, following our success in the One-Day series, that they could not wait to return to the Caribbean. I am fit and ready to go and I know that my teammates are anxious to prove that we are good enough to beat them," Powell said.
The former St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) student who bowled off-spin and batted up the order while attending school, before switching to bowling fast upon his arrival in Kingston for Senior Cup cricket duties with Kensington Cricket Club, has outlined some individual goals for the upcoming series of four Tests, five One-Day internationals and a 20/20 match.
"I want to improve my game even further and get more wickets," said the man whose 32 Tests have yielded him 79 wickets at 46.22 runs apiece. He has also taken 70 wickets from 54 One-Day internationals.
"I would like to see the West Indies continue to improve their form coming off the tour of New Zealand and stay as focused as we were as a team," he said.
The togetherness of the team in New Zealand, Powell said, contributed in large measure to a favourable tour in which they drew the two Test matches to maintain their world No 7 ranking over the host country, while narrowly losing the One-Day international series.
"Unity was responsible for the team's success in New Zealand. The guys are working better as a unit and fully understand their roles.
"Brendan Nash, for example, has shown that he is capable of performing at the highest level and together with (Shivnarine) Chanderpaul they showed the discipline to hold the middle order together.
"It was cold in New Zealand at the time of the first Test, but conditions improved after that, like Caribbean conditions. I remember (captain) Chris Gayle telling us before the first Test that we should ignore the cold weather and go out there and represent the region proudly and the team responded well," Powell said.
The 30-year-old who was credited with bowling the fastest ball of the New Zealand tour by any team, said his bowling fast depends on the conditions and the needs of the team, but he is committed to doing whatever the team needs.
"I have more confidence in what I do now. It is up to me to go back to the nets and sharpen up for the challenges ahead," Powell said.
Powell, a native of Stanmore in St Elizabeth, has also represented South African club Gauteng, English county team Hampshire, captained then by the legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne, and the Stanford Superstars who won US$1 million per man in the US$20-million match last November in Antigua