Nicholas Pooran

International career

Nicholas Pooran’s journey to the international team of West Indies has been a bit of a struggle, which allowed him to be a part of the lineup in the limited overseas format. His performances in the Under-19 series and World Cup for the West Indies further helped him to be a part of the team. Being a part of Trinidad and Tobago’s team in the domestic format, he had to show consistency in a few seasons before making his debut in 2016 in the T20I format. In the 2014 Under-19 World Cup, he was the wicket-keeper and vice-captain of the team and ended up scoring 303 runs in six matches.

His performances in the limited overs in both domestic and Under-19 tournaments helped him to be a part of the West Indies team. Here are some of the remarkable moments in his International career:

• September 23, 2016: Nicholas Pooran made his T20I debut for West Indies in the T20I series against Pakistan in Dubai. His debut match did not go well, as he scored just 5 runs off 4 balls.
• November 11, 2018: He was selected for the T20I series against India, and in the third match, he smashed his maiden half-century. Pooran scored 53 runs in 25 balls, dominating the Indian bowling line-up.
• February 20, 2019: Pooran made his debut for the West Indies in the ODI format, being selected for the series against England. In his debut, he got out for a four-ball duck against Adil Rashid.
• July 1, 2019: He was selected in the World Cup squad for West Indies, and in the match against Sri Lanka, Pooran scored his maiden ODI century.
• June 18, 2024: In the T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan, Nicholas Pooran scored 98 runs off 53 balls, narrowly missing his maiden T20I century. This helped West Indies to win the match and Pooran also received the Player of the Match Award.

Nicholas Pooran has played 61 ODI and 106 T20I matches for West Indies, as he is yet to make his Test debut for the team. Taking a look at his performances in the middle-order, he has settled his place on the team.

Indian Premier League

Nicholas Pooran has also been a part of the Indian Premier League, having played for various teams throughout the seasons. Let's take a look at his IPL career so far:

Domestic career

Nicholas Pooran was born in Trinidad and started playing domestic cricket in 2013 for Trinidad and Tobago’s team. He made his List A debut on February 21 2013, where he was able to score 33 runs not out in the clash against the Windward Islands Cricket Team. He further made his T20I debut against Guyana Amazon Warriors on July 31 2013, scoring 54 runs off 24 balls in his debut game. On November 21 2014, he made his First-class debut against Leeward Islands, scoring 10 and 23 runs, respectively.

In his First-class career, Nicholas Pooran has scored 319 runs in 5 matches at an average of 31.90, with two half-centuries. He has played 98 List A matches and scored 3048 runs at an average of 41.18, with 4 centuries and 17 half-centuries. In his entire T20 career, Pooran has scored 8525 runs in 378 matches at an average of 28.89, with 3 centuries and 50 half-centuries.

Records and achievements

Nicholas Pooran has been one of the most dominant batsmen in the limited overs format, having various records and achievements to his name.

Awards:

• Nicholas Pooran is the only player from West Indies to have the most sixes in the T20I format, with 149 sixes in 97 innings.
• He also holds the third spot for most consecutive T20I innings without a duck, having 71 innings.

Records:

• First-class Cricket: Pooran has played 5 matches in the first class and scored 319 runs at an average of 31.90, with two half-centuries.
• List A Cricket: In 98 List A matches, he has scored 3048 runs at an average of 41.18, with 4 centuries and 17 half-centuries.
• T20 Cricket: In his entire T20 career, Pooran has been able to score 8525 runs in 378 matches at an average of 28.89, with 3 centuries and 50 half-centuries.
• IPL: Nicholas Pooran has scored 1769 runs in 76 IPL matches at an average of 32.16, with 9 half-centuries.
• ODI Cricket: In the 50-over format, he has scored 1983 runs in 61 matches with 3 centuries and 11 half-centuries.
• T20I Cricket: Playing in the shortest format for West Indies, Nicholas Pooran has scored 2275 runs in 106 matches at an average of 26.14 and 13 half-centuries.

Personal life

Nicholas Pooran was born on 2 October 1995 in Trinidad and developed a passion for the sport ever since his childhood. He was also a part of his school's cricket team, representing Trinidad and Tobago across multiple schoolboy tournaments. After completing his schooling, Pooran also attended Naparima College to complete his studies in San Fernando. Following this, he was able to make his debut in 2013 in the domestic format and also for the West Indies in the Under-19 team. He made his debut for the West Indies team in the international format in 2016 and has been an important player since then.