West Indies star man Nicholas Pooran has stepped down from the captaincy role in the limited-overs format after a disastrous T20 World Cup campaign in Australia. Pooran who oversaw the side since May this year and lasted for just six months, having taken over the helms from Kieron Pollard. The Caribbean side were eliminated in Round 1 of the T20 World Cup and failed to make the Super 12 stage of the tournament.
"I have given the captaincy a great deal of thought since the enormous disappointment of the T20 World Cup," Pooran said.
"I took on the role with great pride and dedication and have given it absolutely everything over the past year. The T20 World Cup is something that must not define us and I will readily get involved in the upcoming reviews. And whilst it will be several months until we reconvene as a squad, I want to give CWI plenty of time to prepare for the matches against South Africa in March and beyond,” Pooran said in the statement.
The decision was confirmed on Monday evening (November 21) as Pooran took full responsibility for the downfall. West Indies won just four out of 15 ODIs and four out of 15 T20Is. The dismal campaign followed after they were one of the favourites to clinch the tournament.
"This is not me giving up. I remain ambitious and still view the captaincy of West Indies cricket as an honour that is bestowed upon you. There is no doubt I remain fully committed to West Indies cricket and I look forward to providing my services as a senior player in a supportive role."
"By stepping down now as the West Indies white ball captain I believe it is in the best interests of the team and for me personally, as I need to concentrate on what I can deliver to the side as a player," he said.
"I desperately want us to be successful and the most value I can give to the team is through fully focusing on the role of consistently scoring runs at crucial times,” concluded the now-former captain.
Pooran's own form has been a concern in recent times. He has scored just 94 runs in his last 10 innings in T20Is and finished the T20 World Cup with scores of 5, 7 and 13.
Earlier, West Indies coach Phil Simmons announced his decision to step down as the coach of the West Indies cricket team after his side had a terrible campaign in the T20 World Cup. The West Indies were eliminated in Round 1 and failed to reach the Super 12 stage of the competition, which propelled the move. Simmons’ last assignment will be the upcoming two-match Test series against Australia from 30 November to 12 December.
