After the retirement of Kieron Pollard from international cricket, Cricket West Indies (CWI), on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, announced the name of his successor and named Nicholas Pooran as the new West Indies captain in white-ball cricket.
Pooran was the vice-captain in white-ball cricket for West Indies last year with Pollard leading the side. In Pollard's absence, Pooran led the team to a 4-1 T20I series win against Australia at home ahead of the T20 World Cup last year.
Overall, he has led West Indies in ten internationals - eight T20Is and two ODIs, winning four and losing six.
"Nicholas Pooran will take over the captaincy for the West Indies Men's ODI and T20I teams following the international retirement of Kieron Pollard. Pooran will take over the captaincy for the West Indies ODI and T20I teams after being Pollard's deputy over the last year. The appointment will include the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2022 and the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in October 2023," the CWI statement said.
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"We believe Nicholas is ready for the challenge of leading our white ball teams given his experience, performances, and the respect he has within the playing group. The Selection Panel believes that Nicholas has matured as a player and were impressed with his leadership of both teams when Kieron Pollard had been absent. The experience he has gathered playing in various franchise leagues around the world was also a factor in the decision to recommend him for the T20 captaincy,” CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams was quoted as saying.
"I am truly honored to be appointed captain of the West Indies team. I am following the footsteps of several giants of the game who have created an amazing legacy for West Indies cricket. This is indeed a prestigious role, a pivotal position in the West Indian society, as cricket is the force that brings us all West Indians together.
To be named captain is indeed the highlight of my career so far and I want to drive the team forward to accomplish great things on the field for our fans and loyal supporters,” Pooran said in the statement.
Wicketkeeper-batter Shai Hope has been appointed the new vice-captain in ODIs.
Pooran, who made his West Indies debut in 2016, has represented West Indies in 94 white-ball internationals and has over 3300 runs across formats. He scored close to 500 runs in T20Is last year while continuing his form this year with 348 T20I runs at an average of 49.71 in 2022.
West Indies' next international outing is the three ODIs against the Netherlands in Amstelveen from May 31, which are part of the ICC World Cup Super League.
(NDTV/ESPNCricinfo inputs)
