I recognised Shakib was not having a good day: Powell

West Indies batter Rovman Powell was the big difference between the two sides in the second T20I at Dominica as he took the Bangladesh attack to the cleaners with a 28-ball 61. The Windies batter divulged on why he planned on going after Shakib Al Hasan in the 16th over.

He had reached his fifty off just 20 deliveries, picking up the momentum of the innings with clean hitting display in two overs to take the game away from Bangladesh.

Powell smoked Shakib for 6, 4, 6 and 6 in the first four deliveries of the 16th over bowled by all-rounder. Powell then produced two big sixes off Taskin Ahmed in the first two deliveries of the 17th over and ended that over with another four. 44 runs came off those two overs. Shakib had given away just 15 runs in his first three overs but Powell's shot-playing saw Shakib end with 38 runs to his name at the end of four overs.

While Bangladesh batters needed more time to get a measure of the surface, Powell needed just five or six deliveries. For Powell, the platform given by opener Brandon King and skipper Nicholas Pooran during a 74-run stand, was important. 

"The platform was already set by captain and Brandon and I think they played well before I got to the crease so it was just an opportunity for me to advance the score and bat all overs and I think I did that today," Powell said after the match.

Photo: AFP

"I think it's a pretty good wicket. It's a very good wicket, especially for batting and you just see five or so balls and get yourself in and then the ball just coming on to the bat and you express yourself as a batsman."

Powell said that his plan was to go after Shakib in the Bangladesh all-rounder's last over.

"I think picking up match-ups and picking up bowlers to go after is very important and you know today I recognized Shakib wasn't having the best of the day and then I decide to go after him and then I have five overs obviously at the back end. Yeah definitely (getting the big over against Shakib) changed the momentum. We always sit in the batting meet and talk about changing momentum and changing the course of the game and that over today against Shakib did that for us," he said about picking up 23 runs in Shakib's over that turned the momentum towards them.

Windies reached 193 for 5 in 20 overs and the total proved to be too big for Bangladesh as the visitors reached 158 for 6 despite Shakib's valiant effort with the bat during an unbeaten 52-ball 68.