BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - IN a surprise move, Nicholas Pooran has stepped down as captain of the West Indies Senior Team with immediate effect, Cricket West Indies announced this afternoon (Nov. 21).
The hard-hitting Trinidadian middle order batsman’s decision comes after the West Indies had a shock exit from the recently concluded T20 World Cup in Australia, where they were eliminated in the qualifying round of the tournament.
CWI confirmed that Pooran decided to relinquish the white ball captaincy.
“I have given the captaincy a great deal of thought since the enormous disappointment of the T20 World Cup. I took on the role with great pride and dedication and have given it absolutely everything over the past year,” Pooran was quoted as saying by CWI media.
He continued: “The T20 World Cup is something that must not define us and I will readily get involved in the upcoming reviews. And whilst it will be several months until we reconvene as a squad, I want to give CWI plenty of time to prepare for the matches against South Africa in March and beyond.”
Pooran took over the captaincy last year following another disappointing showing by the regional side as they entered the World Cup in the Emirates as the defending champions - that forced them to enter the qualifying staging this year after sliding down the rankings by the cutoff period.
“This is not me giving up. I remain ambitious and still view the captaincy of West Indies cricket as an honour that is bestowed upon you. There is no doubt I remain fully committed to West Indies cricket and I look forward to providing my services as a senior player in a supportive role,” noted Pooran.
The talismanic and free-scoring batter explained that by him stepping down now as the West Indies white ball captain, “I believe it is in the best interests of the team and for me personally, as I need to concentrate on what I can deliver to the side as a player. I desperately want us to be successful and the most value I can give to the team is through fully focusing on the role of consistently scoring runs at crucial times”.
This decision follows a mixed performance from Pooran in the regional Super50 tournament where Trinidad and Tobago Red Force lost in the Finals on Saturday to the Rovman Powell-led Jamaica Scorpions.
Jimmy Adams, CWI Director of Cricket, thanked Pooran for his time leading the two teams.
“On behalf of CWI I want to thank Nicholas for his time leading our white ball teams. Having spoken with him I know he remains fully committed to West Indies cricket and I am convinced he has a big role to play in our future.”
Pooran took over the reins of the team after the captain, Keiron Pollard, stepped down due to the team’s performance during the World Cup.
A new captain will be selected and based on performance, Jamaica’s Rovman Powell is likely the front runner after leading his sides to two regional titles in the Caribbean Premier League and the Super 50 competitions.
He has also shown consistency in his approach.
The West Indies next limited overs assignments would be on the tour to South Africa slated for March next year.
