Ahead of their clash with Afghanistan on June 18, West Indies captain Rovman Powell has expressed delight at his team’s rise to third place in the ICC Rankings. The two-time champions had fallen out of the top teams, missing both the ODI World Cup last year and the T20 World Cup in 2022. However, the West Indies have enjoyed a resurgence, climbing up to the third spot under Powell’s leadership.

Powell acknowledged the pressure of playing a World Cup on home soil, but emphasized the importance of managing that pressure.

“As a captain, I’ve felt immense pressure, especially while playing in a World Cup at home. Pressure is obvious but it’s up to individuals to manage it. When I took up the captaincy about 12-14 months ago, our team was ranked 8th or 9th, but we’ve been working hard to improve since then,” stated Powell.

“It’s immensely gratifying to see the West Indies team ranked third in the world. This demonstrates that not just me, but the entire squad, is coming together and performing well. Someone who has never played for a high ranked West Indies, this achievement is truly special. Hopefully, we can continue to climb up,” he said.

West Indies and Afghanistan have both been dominant in their group. Powell believes their opponents possess a lineup stacked with match-winning talent. The West Indies skipper said that his side has to be at its best absolute best to defeat formidable opponents. He sees the match against Afghanistan as valuable preparation before the Super 8 stage.

“This is a crucial match. Afghanistan have been playing excellent and consistent T20 cricket, with a number of match-winning players. We will need to bring out our best game to compete with them. They are a formidable T20 side, so this is a valuable opportunity for us to test ourselves against another world-class team. This will provide us with a much needed preparation preparation for the Super 8 stage,” he further added.

West Indies are placed in Group 2 in Super 8 alongside the USA, England and South Africa.