Ricardo Powell

Ricardo Powell

Cricket information
Batting style	Right-hand bat
Bowling style	Right-arm offbreak
Career statistics
Competition Tests ODIs Matches 2 109 Runs scored 53 2085 Batting average 17.66 24.82 100s/50s -/- 1/8 Top score 30 124 Balls bowled 78 473 Wickets - 11 Bowling average - 44.63 5 wickets in innings - - 10 wickets in match - n/a Best bowling - 2/5 Catches/stumpings 1/- 43/-
Source: [1], 25 January 2006

Ricardo Powell (born December 16, 1978 in Jamaica) was the youngest West Indian to score an ODI century. He made 2,000 ODI runs at a strike rate of 96.66, which is the highest strike rate of a West Indian player with more than 1000 ODI runs, and he also emulated Gordon Greenidge by hitting 8 sixes in an ODI innings against India in 1999 at Singapore - a West Indian ODI record. He also hit seven sixes in another ODI against India at Toronto that same year. In total, he hit 75 sixes in 100 ODI innings, a ratio equal to that of Viv Richards. Such stunning performances from the 20-year-old led to comparisons with the great Richards, but for some reason the selectors seemed to pigeon-hole him as a One Day player, and he found himself in and out of the side, and being shunted up and down the batting order. He played 109 One Day matches for the West Indies and 2 Tests matches in his career - against New Zealand in 1999 and England in 2004.

Powell moved from Jamaica in 2003 to his wife's native country of Trinidad. Powell took a hiatus from the game after his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. He is widely regarded by many West Indian greats including Michael Holding as a wasted talent. Curiously, he has been known to perform much better against India than any other international team, a trait he shares with others such as Aaqib Javed.

He still plays the game professionally and resides in the U.S. where he plays cricket with the Indian Lions Cricket Club and works as a Cricket Analyst with ESPN. He is married to Caribbean TV Talk show host Basia Alicia Powell. The couple has two boys, Ricardo Powell Jr and Ross Powell.