ICC World T20 | Nicholas Pooran resigns as West Indies white-ball captain

T20 World Cup 2022 was a poor outing for the West Indies as they were knocked out in the first round of the tournament. CCricket West Indies has appointed a panel to review the performance of the national side. However, in another development, Nicholas Pooran has stepped down as the West Indies white-ball captain. Pooran had taken over the captaincy from Kieron Pollard in May 2022. Under his leadership, the team managed to win just four out of 15 ODIs and four out of 15 T20Is. 

Also, in the T20 World Cup West Indies managed to beat Zimbabwe but lost against Ireland while an upset by Scotland played a role in their elimination from the first round. Announcing his decision, Pooran stated that the disappointment of the T20 World Cup should not define West Indies. 

"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,” Pooran stated in a statement released 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."

Pooran’s form has also been a concern in recent times as he has managed to score just 94 runs in his last 10 T20I innings. Pooran had led West Indies to a 4-1 T20I series win against Australia and was appointed as a regular skipper after Kieron Pollard announced his retirement from international cricket. Jimmy Adam, Cricket West Indies(CWI) director of cricket thanked Pooran for his contribution. 

"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,” Adam stated. 

CWI is yet to announce Pooran’s replacement in both the white-ball formats. Rovman Powell is the vice-captain of the team in T20Is while Shai Hope holds similar post in ODIs. The Caribbean team will play their next white-ball series versus South Africa in March 2023 which include three ODIs and three T20Is.