WHEN Jamaican and West Indies cricketer Rovman Powell walks across the stage to collect his Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD) on National Heroes’ Day next month, he will be carrying not just his own dreams but the hopes and aspirations of his mother.

In his words, the prestigious national award, which honours a sporting journey marked by ambition and discipline, belongs to his mother as it is a testament that her hard work and sacrifice have paid off.

Powell, who grew up in the tiny district of Bannister in Old Harbour, St Catherine, said he began playing cricket at an early age, as it was somewhat of a family sport.

“In my earlier days I did a little bit of track and field also, but then I realised that my real talent…my real sport is cricket,” he told JIS News in an interview.

Having made this important decision to leave behind the 100- and 200-metre sprints in his pre-teen years, he never looked back.

Powell would go on to captain the cricket team at Davis Primary, winning the primary school cricket championship.

He later attended Old Harbour High School where he captained the school’s cricket team at all three levels — Under-14, Under-16 and Under-19.

While he displayed leadership potential early and had a knack for the game, Powell believes he was a late bloomer in the sport.

“I started really improving as a cricketer around about 16, 17 years old, and I did well in the Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Headley Cup competition. I [later] went to the Under-19 trials…trying to make the Jamaica Under-19 team, which I did. I made the Jamaica Under-19 team to Guyana [and] I did well there,” the cricketer said.

His brilliant performance in the ISSA competition and on Jamaica’s Under-19 team earned Powell a scholarship to The University of the West Indies (The UWI) to study geography and social studies.

It was at The UWI where he met Coach Robert Samuels who would have a profound impact on his cricket career.

Powell explained that under Samuels’ expert tutelage he joined the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) team in 2015 and began playing regionally.

He was named Man of the Match in his first game with the CCC, after making 31 runs and taking three wickets.

Recalling that first match fondly, Powell noted that, “As a young man, when you get on a platform…especially at the CCC level, you want to do something to show that you belong. I did that very early in my first game and it gave me the confidence that I needed.

“After I did well for CCC over two seasons I was selected for the Jamaica Tallawahs to play in the CPL [Caribbean Premier League]. That was the 2016 season. After one season of CPL I was selected to be a part of the West Indies team and from then, I never looked back,” he recounted.

His unwavering focus paid off as his dedication at the crease led to him scoring hundreds of runs over the last decade of his career, ultimately earning him the prestigious role of team captain for the West Indies over several tournaments.

When questioned about his fondest moments over his expansive career Powell pointed to scoring centuries in matches against England and Zimbabwe while playing for the West Indies team.

“Another memorable time was when I won CPL 2022 as captain…And just the two years that I captained West Indies, it was a special time for me. I [became captain] when the team was ranked number nine in the world, and during the two years that I captained the team was ranked number three in the world — so we moved significantly up the standings,” the cricketer recounted.

To his credit, the cricketer led the Jamaica Scorpions to win the Regional Super50 title in 2022 and in 2025 surpassed Chris Gayle to become the second-highest run scorer in West Indies Twenty20 International (T20I) history.

After years of bringing pride to the nation and the region on the cricket pitch it is no surprise that Powell’s dedication is now to be formally recognised at home, at the annual national honours and awards ceremony.

Powell told JIS News that he found out he was a recipient of the award via social media, after the list of 141 recipients was made public in August.

“I woke up one morning with a lot of congratulatory messages…and normally when I wake up and get those messages I would be on tour and the night before, I would play a game and do extremely well…but I was home. So, I was wondering what all these congratulatory messages were for, and then someone sent me the article,” he shared.

The cricketer said he is grateful and humbled that the nation has seen it fit to recognise him for all the work he has done on the field.

Amid the celebration and joy he pauses to show gratitude to his mother, grandfather and other family members for their part in his success.

“I think as much as this award is for me, it is [also] for my mother. It is for my small family. They have been an instrumental part [in my life]…I come from humble beginnings. I don’t know my father, so my mom is an instrumental part in my life, so as much as this is a win for me, it’s also a win for her. It goes to show that all her hard work over the years is slowly but surely now bearing some fruit, so she has to take a lot of the credit,” he told JIS News.

Powell pointed out that his grandfather was also key in his success, having helped to build the mental fortitude that would serve him well during his career.

“He always believed that ambition can take you places. He always encouraged me, saying, ‘Always try to make better of your circumstances,’ ” he noted.

Drawing from the guidance of his family’s patriarch he similarly advises young people pursuing sports to steer clear of distractions, be disciplined in perfecting their craft, and to stay grounded.

“Always, always, always…no matter what you face, just believe in yourself,” he urged.

On the matter of self-belief, Powell strongly believes he has more to achieve in cricket. Having built a formidable career regionally and internationally, he has his eyes set on being at the crease for a while longer and winning a World Cup title for the West Indies.

Powell told JIS News that he is likewise focused on taking his eponymous T20 Bash, which he hosts annually in his hometown, to higher heights.

— Donique Weston, JIS News

Cricketer Rovman Powell poses with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) trophy after leading the Jamaica Tallawahs to victory in the 2022 tournament.

POWELL…I don’t know my father, so my mom is an instrumental part in my life, so as much as this is a win for me, it’s also a win for her