West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran has decided to step down as his team’s white-ball skipper. He was appointed for the role on May 4, 2022, but the team has not seen much success under his leadership. Nicholas Pooran’s decision comes after losing the bilateral series against various teams and two-time champions West Indies failing to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup 2022.
Nicholas Pooran explains his decision
West Indies had a disastrous T20 World Cup 2022 campaign and after the side bowed out, Cricket West Indies had mentioned that the board will take some bold decisions and do a thorough assessment of the team’s situation. After West Indies got eliminated from the tournament, their head coach Phil Simmons also decided to step down from his role following the team’s Test stint against Sri Lanka.
“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. 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,” Nicholas Pooran was quoted as saying by Cricket West Indies.
“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. By 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,” he added.
