'Gave absolutely everything' - Nicholas Pooran steps down as West Indies captain after unpleasant show at 20-20 World Cup 2022

Star West Indies wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran resigned from captaincy in limited overs after a disastrous campaign in the 20-20 World Cup 2022. The Caribbean side won just one match in the group stage and could not break through the group that comprised Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Scotland. West Indies finished at the bottom of the pool.

The Pooran-led side was beaten by Scotland and Ireland in the group stage. It was after their star allrounder Kieron Pollard announced his retirement, Pooran was handed skipper duties earlier this year. The 27-year-old was under immense scrutiny as the team managed to win only four T20I matches out of 15 under his leadership.

The same goes for ODIs as the team won only four matches out of 15 under him. Talking about Pooran’s performances with the bat, the former skipper managed to score only 94 runs in his last 10 T20I matches. Pooran also failed to deliver in the recent 20-20 World Cup, scoring only 5, 7, and 13 in the three matches he played at the major tournament.

“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 said in his official statement.

This is not me giving up: Nicholas Pooran

Pooran said that he has given his everything to make the team victorious in every way. But from now, he will be serving the team as a senior player. “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,” said Pooran in his official statement." Pooran said.

“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,” added Pooran.