Powell Joins Big Hitters
Friday, February 21 2003
Going into the 2003 World Cup only one batsman in history could boast scoring at faster than a run a ball in one-day internationals.
But West Indian Ricardo Powell made that two on Tuesday after hammering a 31-ball 50 against Bangladesh to join Pakistan's Shahid Afridi in an exclusive two-man club. The 24-year-old Jamaican clubbed four sixes to take his tally to 61 in 57 internationals on the way to the fastest half-century of the tournament.
Not even the likes of Australia's Adam Gilchrist (91.08), widely regarded as the most exciting one-day batsman in the world, or South Africa's explosive all rounder Lance Klusener (90.81) get their runs as fast.
Even West Indian great Viv Richards only hit 90.20 runs off every 100 deliveries he faced.
Powell, like Afridi, was hailed as a prodigy after his one-day debut, but has taken much longer to establish himself since making his debut in 1999 and announcing himself with a 93-ball 124 against India that included eight sixes.
His explosive knock against Bangladesh took his career strike rate from 99.69 to 101.12. He averages just over 27.
Posted by Orin
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