A major regret for those steeped in the lofty traditions of West Indies cricket is that Mr Rovman Powell, now 32 years old, is unlikely ever to play Test matches.

Like so many other elite players in today’s world he has made the choice to concentrate on white ball cricket ahead of the red ball format.

To be fair to Mr Powell, a native of Bannister, Old Harbour, St Catherine, he did give himself a chance to make his mark as a red-ball cricketer, playing 15 first-class games for Jamaica between 2015 and 2020.

For one reason or another — perhaps just the challenge of having to adjust his technique from one style of cricket to the other at short notice — he never did make the breakthrough in the longer format, despite obvious desire and talent.

In white ball cricket, more especially T20s, not just talent, but Mr Powell’s commitment, leadership skills, and empathy have shone through, gaining him global respect for achievements representing Jamaica, West Indies, and franchise outfits.

He has excelled as a flamboyant, hard-hitting stroke-maker, skilled as a ‘finisher’ — often explosively carrying his side to challenging totals or over the line to victory.

He has won titles as captain in the One Day International (50 over) format for the Jamaica Scorpions and for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the T20 Caribbean Premier league (CPL).

Those leadership qualities triggered his selection as West Indies T20 captain — an honour he told JIS News was “special”. So successful was he that there was widespread surprise when he was replaced as captain earlier this year, having led the way as the regional team advanced from ninth in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) T20 rankings to third.

An admirably humble man, Mr Powell has remained committed to West Indies cricket, continuing to give his all for the regional side in recent engagements despite the leadership setback.

All those qualities and more have, without doubt, contributed to the decision by the authorities to award Mr Powell the national honour, Order of Distinction (OD), which he will officially receive on National Heroes Day in October.

True to form, Mr Powell, in responding to news of the investiture, has verbally recognised those whom he says had greatest positive influence in helping him to become who he is today.

Understandably, he pays tribute to family. But Mr Powell also singles out his coach, former Jamaica captain/opener and former West Indies opening batsman, Mr Robert Samuels. The latter’s guiding hand helped him to stay on track as a cricketer, Mr Powell tells us.

He salutes his grandfather, who consistently reminded him to be ambitious and to always strive to improve existing circumstances.

Most of all, Mr Powell honours his mother who brought him up singly, since he never knew his father. Such is his love and respect for his mom, Mr Powell tells us that from his perspective, his national award will be dedicated to her.

“… 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 tells us.

What a wonderful example for everyone.