Veteran pacer Ravi Rampaul on Sunday said that he is ready to take up the mantle of bowling the 'tough overs' -- powerplay and slog overs -- for the West Indies in the T20 World Cup, to be held in the UAE and Oman, despite being absent from the national team for many years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rampaul, who has been playing county cricket for a number of years as a Kolpak player, returned to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2021 after a gap of four years and ended up as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 19 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 16.21 and an economy rate of 7.96 for Trinbago Knight Riders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Moreover, 14 of those scalps came during the powerplay and the death in largely sluggish conditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Yeah, definitely (see myself doing a top-tail role) for the West Indies," Rampaul was quoted as saying by espncricinfo.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I've done a lot of practice bowling in the three areas of T20 cricket and whatever situation I've to play for the West Indies, I'll try to do my best. I strive on the tough areas of the game to come out on top. So, whatever situation I'm put under, I'll try to come out on top," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Multiple injuries have troubled Rampaul in the past, but the 37-year-old felt that he is now in a better space to understand his body and work accordingly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"With the experience gained, I know exactly what my body needs to perform. At a younger age, I didn't know and I just wanted to continue playing cricket every day," the pacer said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"But, with the experience gained, playing over the years, I know exactly how I need to train -- the sort of gym and running work I need to do, so with that experience right now, I feel I'm a bit better at preparing for more games that way," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The pace bowler also believes the Caribbean side has the required experience to handle different situations through the course of the tournament. Incidentally, Rampaul has the experience of putting up a good show in a T20 World Cup, having finished as the West Indies' joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2012 tournament.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I think going into big World Cup games, you would need experience.The team that was selected has a lot of experienced guys and a lot of young guys as well -- guys that have played around the world in different conditions. We know that the games come quick and fast," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"The experienced guys, more so, will know how to manage themselves to play back-to-back games or play games every other day with recovery and getting stuff done. Yeah, the experience will help us throughout the tournament," he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n