Led by the in-form Nicholas Pooran, the Trinbago Knight Riders easily moved past St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the third match of the Republic Bank CPL 2024 at Warner Park in Basseterre, Saint Kitts on Saturday. Man-of-the-Match Pooran fell only three short of what would have been a well-deserved …
Read More »Will Powell follow Pollard, Pooran and produce purple patch against Proteas? Or in CPL?
Former West Indies white ball captains Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran showed off their power-hitting to excellent effect in The Hundred in England. But good tings, as another former West Indies captain might say, come in trees. So is it too much to expect current West Indies white ball captain Rovman …
Read More »Best: Six-hitting team? Rutherford and Kohli showed how to bat properly in T20
A cricket match, a wise old scribe has written, is played in the minds of the opposing captains. Even in today’s changed world of T20 cricket? Hmmm…. Let’s see… For a full century after Australia’s 45-run victory over England at Melbourne in the first-ever Test match in 1877, the statement …
Read More »Pooran not batting properly? Really?! Start watching T20 cricket with 21st Century eyes
Brian Lara says Nicholas Pooran should be playing Test cricket for the West Indies. Not everyone agrees. But no one doubts that the prolific, talented almost-30-year-old left-hander is the West Indies’ best T20 batsman. By far. Pooran, though, is under attack—directly and indirectly. And whether the criticisms constantly levelled at …
Read More »Can WI force England to take us seriously? Will Lara’s advice help?
In the lead-up to the First Test which ended at Lord’s last week, Brian Lara, a master of timing, reaffirmed his long-held position on the possibilities for West Indies cricket. “I still believe we have some of the best talents in the world,” the Guardian reports him as saying, “but …
Read More »Early Bird: Looking back at T20WC24; where will Pooran be for 2026 tournament?
There can be no doubt that eventual winners India deserved to have the lion’s share of the places on the T20WC24 Team of the Year. With a twelfth man included, India’s six picks represent exactly half of the places. But if we take away the capital letters and reference the …
Read More »T20WC24: Pooran gets his Chris Gayle groove on—better fete for WI
Nicholas Pooran does not have the bluster of Chris Gayle, the Universe Boss. Or his belligerence. Nor can he really claim to have outbatted his fellow left-hander in any of cricket’s three formats. But in the T20I universe, he has now overhauled a couple of the former West Indies opener’s …
Read More »T20WC24: Pooran blazes Afghanistan, Charles, McCoy shine; as WI tally eighth straight win
Dashing West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran produced the highest score of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup so far as the hosts whipped Afghanistan by 104 runs to finish the group stage undefeated. Afghanistan still boast the highest run scorer of the current World Cup (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 167, average: 41.75) …
Read More »Early Bird: Pooran’s persistent profligacy, Rutherford’s diplomacy and WI’s long rope
Wednesday 12 June, 8.44pm. We are halfway through the disastrous West Indies powerplay. Johnson Charles, inexplicably preferred to Shai Hope as opener, has promptly—entirely predictably—perished. Nicholas Pooran has come in. And departed, not uncharacteristically bidding to smash his 12th ball for six and getting only a top edge. “THEY NOT …
Read More »T20WC24: Rampant Rutherford takes WI into Super Eight; N/Zealand on the brink
“From the outside, we told our guys someone will have to play a blinder (because of how the pitch could be due to inclement weather),” said West Indies captain Rovman Powell. “We always believe individual brilliance is needed.” Batter Sherfane Rutherford did not disappoint with a superb counter-attacking half-century while …
Read More »Best: Why Windies should NOT bowl DreRuss at death; and lingering selection questions
Bitter experience is the best teacher. I know. Ever since Jason Holder’s West Indians unaccountably turned the tables on England at Headingley in 2017, I hate the taste of Brylcreem. And yet, here we go: I will eat my hat if Rovman Powell’s West Indies do not emerge victorious in …
Read More »Pooran, Holder and Mayers decline WI contracts; CWI announces 2023-24 list
Cricket West Indies (CWI) today confirmed their list of centrally contracted men’s and women’s players for the 2023-24 season, based on “recommendations from the selection panels and approval by the board of directors”. There are 14 men and 15 women on the list, which is drawn up “based on player …
Read More »