West Indies were eliminated in the qualifiers for the first time in T20 World Cup history.
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran has promised a strong comeback after his team's exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 qualifying round in Australia. West Indies’ journey at the T20 World Cup 2022 ended with a nine-wicket loss against Ireland in their final group match for Super 12s qualifiers.
Pooran said that he is taking West Indies' humiliating exit from the T20 World Cup 2022 as an opportunity and motivation, not as a shock, and added that this disappointing campaign is not going to stop his team from making a strong comeback, as he vowed to bounce back strongly.
Notably, two-time champions West Indies were eliminated in the qualifiers for the first time in T20 World Cup history, forcing head coach Phil Simmons to resign.
Nicholas Pooran said ahead of leading Trinidad and Tobago in the Super50 Cup: “Playing cricket is my dream and obviously I have had my test in life as well and this is another test for me. I am a person that embraces challenges and this was just another one for me. It is not going to stop me.”
He continued, “I am going to continue to learn from my experiences, and again, I am happy I can wake up in the morning and see that I have an opportunity to play cricket again. Obviously, we don't know what the future holds but we will take it day by day. Again, it was a learning experience for all of us and this is our journey and our story.
Time will tell what will happen but for now, it is just about focusing on ourselves and how we can get better as individuals. Rest is the ultimate (way to heal) and every player needs that but inside it is still hurting as well. I want to use that hurt as motivation and obviously come back strong.”
On the other hand, CWI's chief executive Johnny Grave said on the Mason and Guest radio show: “I'm not in control of that (exit). My contract runs out in June 2023. But am I a quitter? Am I going to resign? No, I'm not. For whatever reason, we did not execute under pressure in Hobart. Now, was there too much pressure placed on the team? Why did the players not execute those skills?”
Grave signed off by saying, “It can't just be players or coaches. It's got to be people who understand and have been successful in both setting strategies and structures and also players who have executed them. We've got to get the information from our players and dig deep.”
(With PTI Inputs)