BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - CRICKET WEST INDIES (CWI) has stated that Trinidad and Tobago’s wicketkeeper/batsman Nicholas Pooran would be the new leader of the West Indies ODI and T20 teams going forward.
The announcement was made today (May 3) in a press statement from the regional cricket body, following the unprecedented retirement of Trinidadian allrounder Keiron Pollard from international cricket.
Pollard had led the team for the past two years and had some success in the white ball format. He was however unsuccessful and came in for heavy criticisms after the Caribbean side failed to retain its T20 World Title last year.
Pooran takes over after being the Vice Captain under Pollard's leadership and will see him being at the helm for two major international events - the 2022 T20 World Cup slated for Australia and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in October 2023.
CWI further announced that Shai Hope has been recommended to stand as Vice Captain of the ODI team.
Commenting on the selection, CWI’s Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams said: “We believe Nicholas is ready for the challenge of leading our white ball teams given his experience, performances, and the respect he has within the playing group. The Selection Panel believes that Nicholas has matured as a player and were impressed with his leadership of both teams when Kieron Pollard had been absent. The experience he has gathered playing in various franchise leagues around the world was also a factor in the decision to recommend him for the T20 captaincy.”
CWI President Ricky Skerritt congratulated Pooran on his appointment saying, “Nicholas Pooran is a specially gifted cricketer, and the right person to take over the white ball captaincy. We are confident that he will continue to climb the leadership learning curve speedily, and successfully. I appeal to all West Indies cricket stakeholders to give Nicholas the support and encouragement that he deserves.”
Pooran expressed his delight in his appointment saying, “I am truly honored to be appointed captain of the West Indies team. I am following the footsteps of several giants of the game who have created an amazing legacy for West Indies cricket. This is indeed a prestigious role, a pivotal position in the West Indian society, as cricket is the force that brings us all West Indians together. To be named captain is indeed the highlight of my career so far and I want to drive the team forward to accomplish great things on the field for our fans and loyal supporters.”
His first outing as captain will be the three away ODIs against The Netherlands in Amstelveen starting May 31, which form part of the ICC World Cup Super League.
