West Indies coach, Daren Sammy, asserts that Nicholas Pooran’s unexpected retirement from international cricket underscores the ongoing challenge of inspiring players to represent the team. Sammy suggests more players might follow Pooran’s path.
Pooran, aged 29, announced his decision to retire from international cricket earlier this week. Although he hasn’t featured in Test matches, and last appeared in an ODI two years prior, Pooran leaves as West Indies’ highest run-scorer in T20 Internationals. His departure eight months before the T20 World Cup surprised many, especially considering his lucrative career in T20 franchise leagues worldwide.
Nevertheless, Sammy states he wasn’t completely caught off guard. Before Pooran declared his retirement, Sammy had begun preparing for a future without him. “My instincts told me something like that would happen,” Sammy explained on Tuesday after West Indies sustained their sixth successive white-ball loss on their England tour.
Sammy elaborates, “Nicholas sent a text, and I spoke with his agent too. When discussing the UK tour with him, I asked if he was unavailable just for that tour or indefinitely, and his answer was enough for me to prepare for the worst. Ideally, I’d love his talent in the team, but I don’t control careers. We wish each other well, and it’s now about devising plans without him for the upcoming World Cup. He thankfully gave us enough notice to adapt.”
Addressing Pooran’s departure, Sammy spoke to his squad before Tuesday’s T20I game in Southampton about his pride in representing the West Indies. “Surprised? No, I’m not,” Sammy stated. “In today’s team meeting, I mentioned that we don’t have control over individual choices. I made my debut right here in 2004, and I still see the same loyal fans. It’s their love for the game and West Indies cricket that brings them here.”
Sammy noted other recent early retirements, such as those of Heinrich Klaasen and Quinton de Kock from international cricket, saying, “The passion of fans travelling miles to watch us, it’s about love for the game. Each player must recognise what playing for the West Indies crest represents and why these fans come to see us play.”
Concluding his remarks, Sammy emphasised the individual responsibility of players to understand and uphold the significance of the West Indies brand, which continues to draw fans from across the world.
