What’s the story?
West Indian batsman Kieran Powell returned to the West Indies’ side for their series against England after a break of nearly three years. In his time away from the game, the left-hander tried his hand at baseball and had ambitions of playing in Major League Baseball, the premier baseball league in USA. Unfortunately, he did not succeed and returned to Windies’ first-class cricket last year.
"I'm definitely glad I did it (baseball stint). I think it's helped improve my game in so many ways. I think I have a better base when I'm batting now, I'm a lot more solid, I'm able to generate more power and it's improved my hand-eye co-ordination as well. They're massive gains to have to be going into what is a rebirth in my cricketing career," Powell told Press Association.
In case you didn’t know...
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor was a terrific hockey player and he credits the sport for helping him to play his popular and powerful slog sweep.
West Indies’ legendary batsman Sir Vivian Richards was an impressive footballer. He represented Antigua and if his team had qualified for the 1974 Football World Cup, he could have become the first sportsman to play in the World Cup of two different sports.
The heart of the matter
Kieran Powell has endured difficulties in his short-lived cricket career. Although he made his international debut back in 2009, he has featured in just 28 ODIs and 21 Tests. The West Indies cricket board are the main reason behind the crisis that exists in the cricket frenzy nation, and it is because of the same that Powell took a brief break from cricket in 2015 to try his hand in MLB.
Powell had trials with MLB clubs like Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets but it did not materialise and Powell returned to cricket – his first love. He firmly believes that his stint in baseball has enhanced his cricket attributes. He said that his stance is now stable and emphasised on improvement in his hand-eye coordination.
The top-order batsman is determined to make the most of his revived career because he feels that not many cricketers get a second chance in the International arena.
What’s next?
The left-hander was the highest run-getter in the Regional Super50 tournament and scored three centuries. Contrastingly, in his comeback match against England, he departed for just a run. And will be looking to ensure he fares better on his comeback to international cricket.
Sportskeeda’s Take
In modern day cricket, the expectations from a batsman are really high. By playing other sports, it truly contributes in enhancing key factors like – bat swing, balance, power and also hand-eye coordination.
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