West Indies fast bowling all-rounder Romario Shepherd took no time to repay the faith of his franchise Chattogram Challengers during his first match of the tournament against Rangpur Riders as he took three wickets as well as smashed an unbeaten 66 runs.

The 29-year-old cricketer, who hailed from Guyana which is known for producing so many legendary cricketers, is playing his maiden Bangladesh Premier League season and on Sunday, he talked to The Daily Sun on several topics which included how he turned into a pace bowling all-rounder, his observation about new wonder kid Samar Joseph, his upcoming stint with Mumbai Indians in the IPL and West Indies’ chances in the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup which will be held on their home soil.

Here are the excerpts from the interview: 

The Daily Sun: You have already taken BPL by storm with your scintillating all-round performance in your first game for Chattogram Challengers. Can you share your experience so far?

Romario Shepherd: First of all, it has been really good. In my opinion, franchise cricket is no different from international cricket. My main goal here is to play my best for Chattogram. 

The Daily Sun: You came from Guyana where a lot of legendary cricketers like Clive Llyod, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul came from. What makes you think of becoming a bowling all-rounder?

Romario Shepherd: Actually, Dwayne Bravo is my inspiration. He is someone whom I look up to. Basically In youth cricket, I started as a batsman. Then I grew from five feet to six feet within a year. I actually grew up very fast at that time. In club cricket, I bowled from quicker to quicker. From that time, I started taking bowling seriously and I really worked on it.  

The Daily Sun: You are currently part of the Caribbean white-ball squad. West Indies recently played well against Australia though we didn’t win many. How confident you guys were about the series?

Romario Shepherd: When I joined the white-ball side, basically we planned to win some white-ball matches. Playing for West Indies is always a goal. We had a good series against South Africa, India and England. So our white-ball team was on a high. So we planned to replicate the same in Australia as well. 

The Daily Sun: What is your thought on Shamar Joseph – the boy who took no time to get famous worldwide through his mesmerizing performance against the Aussies?

Romario Shepherd: Shamar is someone whom I have known for a very long time. Both of us grew up in the same neighbourhood. I have known him since he was a little kid. It’s really good to see him becoming someone like a legend right now. I’m actually really happy for him. But he has done the easiest part and he needs to work on to keep his good works up. Hopefully, he will be at the top of the world for a very long time. 

The Daily Sun: You will play for Mumbai Indians in this year’s Indian Premier League. What is your feeling about being part of the most decorated franchise in world cricket?

Romario Shepherd: Mumbai has been a really big franchise. Anywhere in the world you go, people will talk about Mumbai or Chennai as the biggest franchises. For me, it’s a big step in my career to play for one of the biggest franchises in the world. They are also one of the most famous franchises as well as the most respected franchise. I want to continue doing the stuff that I actually made me pick for the side. I will try to perform well in Mumbai because it is a franchise that I always wanted to represent because of its legacy. 

The Daily Sun: You don’t like football but there is a story behind your name – Romario, your mother and the 1994 FIFA World Cup, right?

Romario Shepherd: Actually my mother got me the name from a Brazilian footballer but I’m not good at football. We are very close to Brazil where some of the best footballers came from. Actually, my mom was surprised to see me becoming a cricketer. There were a few in my family who played cricket but not at the highest level.

The Daily Sun: Do you think the BPL experience will help you somewhere else like in the IPL or the World Cup?

Romario Shepherd: Actually when I got an opportunity to play for Chattogram, I was very happy. The conditions are actually similar to West Indies because the pitches are similar and they are very batting-friendly as well as spinner-friendly. The two-game wickets that I played here were batting-friendly. My preparation is to bowl in this type of wickets.

The Daily Sun: The T20 World Cup is coming up in just a few months’ time and it will be played in West Indies. Do you think you have a good chance this year?

Romario Shepherd: We are so lucky to get Dre (Andre Russell) who was part of two World Cup-winning sides. And our coach as well (part of that) while Jason Holder is with us. Like you said, it’s going to be a big World Cup. We are two-time champions and this is the first time we are hosting the event after we became champions. We actually get a chance to represent ourselves at home and fulfil our expectations. After winning against big sides like India and England last year, the expectation gets bigger. The confidence in the team is really high. Even in the series against Australia that we lost recently, in each game we scored over 200 runs. We know that we will have the home support and we know that fans will be with us 100 percent.