Nicholas Pooran

Chasing 173 for victory, the West Indies were bowled out for 163, a result that the Trinidadian agrees could have been different had better application been shown by a number of their batsmen.

Asked why the players, himself included, keep making those mistakes, Pooran said he simply did not know but pleaded for understanding as the team was still learning.

“To be honest, I really don’t have an answer. If we knew why we make mistakes then we would have the best team in the world by now, but it’s cricket,” Pooran said.

“We are learning on the job, so don’t be too hard on us.”

Explaining why he got out to Mohammad Nawaz going for a second consecutive six when the bowler had already conceded 14 runs, more than the required 10 runs an over, Pooran said: “I saw Nawaz as a match up. I thought to go after him but in saying that, getting 14 in the over, I felt like I didn’t have to play that shot off the last ball of the over when I could have just tried to start the next over, so knock it down and take single.

“So that’s why I felt it was a silly mistake from me because that’s something we talk about, we don’t want to be getting out on last balls if we don’t need to.”

He said Brooks, who got out trying to sweep similar to a shot he played in the first match when he was given out but survived after he called for a review, is still learning on the job and is still trying to find his feet in T20 cricket.

The hosts first posted 199-8 from their 20 overs after winning the toss and batting first.

Quinton de Kock was the main scorer for the Super Giants with a 38-ball 54 at the top of the innings.

Nicholas Pooran, who captained the team in this game, hit three fours and three sixes on his way to 42 off just 21 balls while Krunal Pandya finished 43* off 22 balls including four fours and two sixes.

Sam Curran took 3-28 from his four overs for the Kings.

Punjab were then restricted to 178-5 from 20 overs in their reply despite a 50-ball 70 from Shikhar Dhawan and 42 from his opening partner, Jonny Bairstow.

Liam Livingstone also made 28* for the Kings as debutant Mayank Yadav ripped through the batting order with his impressive quick bowling on the way to figures of 3-27 from his four overs.

Mohsin Khan provided good support for Yadav with 2-34 from his four overs.

Full Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 199-8 from 20 overs (Quinton de Kock 54, Krunal Pandya 43*, Nicholas Pooran 42, Sam Curran 3-28, Arshdeep Singh 2-30)

Punjab Kings 178-5 from 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 70, Jonny Bairstow 42, Liam Livingstone 28*, Mayank Yadav 3-27, Mohsin Khan 2-34)

Despite a 40-ball 61 from captain Nicholas Pooran, defending champions MI Emirates opened their 2025 International League T20 (ILT20) campaign with an agonizing one-run loss to the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

The Brave, after winning the toss and electing to bat, posted 146-8 off their 100 balls thanks to a 22-ball 37 from former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard and cameos of 28 and 26 from Alex Davies and James Coles, respectively.

Callum Parkinson took 2-38 from his 20 balls of left-arm spin for the Superchargers.

The Superchargers then needed only 85 balls to reach 147-3 and secure their first win of the season.

Pooran than led the successful chase with 62 off 34 balls including four fours and five sixes while captain Harry Brook finished 34* off 20 balls including four fours and a six.

Opener Graham Clark also chipped in with 27.

Akeal Hosein took 1-19 off 15 balls for the Brave.

Full Scores:

Southern Brave 146-8 off 100 balls (Kieron Pollard 37, Alex Davies 28, James Coles 26, Callum Parkinson 2-38)

Northern Superchargers 147-3 off 85 balls (Nicholas Pooran 62, Harry Brook 34*, Graham Clark 27, Akeal Hosein 1-19, Jofra Archer 1-19)

MI New York held the Freedom to a respectable 160-6 after winning the toss and electing to field first.

Glenn Phillips hit a 35-ball 47 while Captain, Moises Henriques, hit 32 off 30 balls for Washington.

New York skipper, Kieron Pollard, was amongst the wickets with 2-33 from his four overs.

Nicholas Pooran then starred with an unbeaten 62 as MI New York needed only 15.3 overs to reach 161-2.

The left-hander faced 33 balls and struck four fours and six sixes on his way to his first fifty of the competition.

Pooran was well supported by openers Monank Patel, who hit 44 off 29 balls, and Shayan Jahangir, who made 29. Pollard was at the crease alongside Pooran in the end, finishing 21* off just 10 balls.

The Seattle Orcas and Washington Freedom have each already secured spots in the playoffs with three teams battling for the remaining two spots.

MI New York, who play the Orcas in their last game, will be in with a win or if they avoid a heavy defeat.

The Texas Super Kings and San Francisco Unicorns are the other teams in contention for a spot and they will be facing each other in a winner-take-all clash on Monday.

Both sides had already qualified for the Super 8s, but West Indies ensured they finished unbeaten in Group C, breaking a few records along the way.

Afghanistan had no answers to the co-hosts' dominant batting performance, with Johnson Charles getting 43 off 27 balls before Pooran plundered 98 off 53 balls, including six fours and eight sixes.

He was run out in the final over while searching for his century, but Shai Hope (25) and Rovman Powell (26) had already helped push West Insides towards the highest total of the tournament so far with 218-5.

West Indies did not let up during the Afghanistan chase, starting strongly when Akeal Hosein had Rashid Khan caught for a duck in a wicket maiden to start.

Obed McCoy was the standout though, as he took 3-14, including Ibrahim Zadran, who was starting to build some momentum with his 38, leaving Afghanistan all out for 114 with 22 balls remaining.

West Indies meet holders England in their first Super 8 match on Wednesday, while Afghanistan face India the following day.

Data Debrief: West Indies finish group in record-breaking style

West Indies' score of 218 was their highest-ever at the T20 World Cup, while they also registered the highest powerplay score with 92, beating the Netherlands' record of 91 against Ireland in 2014.

In the fourth over alone, they scored 36 runs - equalling the record for the most expansive over in men's T20s.

Pooran has scored the joint-most sixes in the tournament so far (13, along with USA's Aaron Jones), and has broken the record for the most sixes (128) in T20s for West Indies, going past Chris Gayle's 124.

His total of 98 was also the highest individual total at this World Cup, carrying him past 2000 runs in T20Is.

All in all, not a bad day for the West Indies.

This will be Pooran's first time playing the tournament and he will represent the same owners he plays for in the Indian Premier League.

The 27-year old delivered a recent reminder of his capabilities with a 51-ball hundred at the Caribbean Premier League where his team, Trinbago Knight Riders, was part of the final.

He was the highest scorer in the inaugural Major League Cricket tournament in the USA earlier this year, a performance that helped the team he was captaining, MI New York, win the title.

In all, Pooran has 5861 T20 runs at a strike rate of 144 across a career that spans 292 matches and 10 years.

Fellow West Indians Kieron Pollard and Romario Shepherd were also snapped up at the auction. Pollard will play the first three matches for MI Cape Town as cover for Rashid Khan while Shepherd, who was instrumental in helping the Guyana Amazon Warriors claim their maiden CPL title, will suit up for the Joburg Super Kings.

The Northern Superchargers made the headlines by selecting Nicholas Pooran as their first pick, highlighting the team's strategic focus on acquiring top-tier talent. Pooran's exceptional batting prowess and aggressive style make him a formidable force on the field, adding depth and flair to the Superchargers' lineup.

London Spirit secured the services of two West Indian powerhouses, with Andre Russell and Shimron Hetmyer joining their ranks. Known for their ability to smash boundaries with ease, Russell and Hetmyer are expected to bring an exciting brand of cricket to the Spirit camp, captivating fans with their explosive stroke play.

Meanwhile, Southern Brave strengthened their batting lineup by acquiring the services of Kieron Pollard, adding the experienced all-rounder's firepower to their arsenal. Pollard's ability to turn the game on its head with his big-hitting prowess makes him a valuable asset for the Brave as they aim for glory in The Hundred.

Rovman Powell emerged as a top pick for Trent Rockets, further solidifying the West Indian presence in the tournament. Powell's aggressive batting style and knack for scoring quick runs make him a perfect fit for the Rockets' lineup, providing the team with a dynamic middle-order batsman capable of changing the course of a game single-handedly.

While the draft brought joy to these five West Indian stars, there was disappointment for Trinidad and Tobago's mystery spinner Sunil Narine, who went undrafted. Despite his absence from the draft, Narine remains a formidable force in the world of cricket, with his unique bowling skills and all-round abilities.

Six players from the title-winning Indian squad have been named in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 team of the tournament.

Rohit Sharma
Runs: 257, Average: 36.71, Strike-rate: 156.7, Fifties: 3

Setting the tone at the top of the order, Rohit Sharma embraced India's new approach in T20Is and showed the way with his brilliant ball striking. Scoring at a rate of 156.7, the Indian skipper made 257 runs in the tournament, the second-most by any player. With three fifties in eight games, Rohit showed consistency as well while maintaining a brilliant strike-rate. His best came against Australia in the Super Eight, when he bludgeoned one of the best attacks in the tournament for 92 in just 41 balls. In the semi-final, he once again made an impact with a 57 off 39 balls. Rohit also led the side admirably as a leader, taking the side to a historic T20 World Cup title win after 17 years.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Runs: 281, Average: 35.12, Strike-rate: 124.33, Fifties: 3

Alongside Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz forged an impressive opening partnership, scoring 446 runs as a pair, including three century stands and was critical to Afghanistan's run to the semi-finals of the tournament. Gurbaz shone with exceptional knocks against Uganda (76), New Zealand (80), Australia (60) and Bangladesh (43). He finished as the leading run-scorer in the tournament and was Afghanistan's star with the bat at the top of the order.

Nicholas Pooran
Runs: 228, Average: 38.0, Strike-rate: 146.15, Fifties: 1

Nicholas Pooran established his status as one of the best batters in the format with 228 runs in the tournament, scoring at a rate of 146.16. The next best West Indies batter made just 140 runs. Pooran finished as the sixth-highest run-getter despite his high-risk batting, and his knock of 98 against Afghanistan guided the team to an excellent win. It was also the highest score recorded by a player in the tournament.

Suryakumar Yadav
Runs: 199, Average: 28.42, Strike-rate: 135.37, Fifties: 2

With two half-centuries and a vital 47 in the semi-final against England, Suryakumar Yadav had a good tournament from the middle-order despite playing on some difficult batting wickets. He made his presence felt in both the knockout games, first with a crucial 47 with the team in trouble in the semi-final against England, and then with one of the best catches the tournament has ever witnessed in a pivotal moment in the final.

Marcus Stoinis
Runs: 169, Strike-rate: 164.07, Wickets: 10, Economy: 8.88

Marcus Stoinis was Australia’s x-factor player in the T20 World Cup, standing out with exceptional knocks against Oman and Scotland. In the game against Oman, he also delivered a crunch performance with the ball, taking 3/19. Despite Australia’s exit before the semi-finals of the tournament, Stoinis stood out with his ability to deliver under pressure.

Hardik Pandya
Runs: 144, Strike-rate: 151.57, Wickets: 11, Economy: 7.64

Hardik Pandya made impactful cameos down the order with the bat and made breakthroughs with the ball when the team needed him to. But his most important contribution came in the final, when he stopped a rampaging Heinrich Klaasen, deceiving him with a slower ball outside off-stump. Hardik went on to deliver an excellent final over to lead India to their title victory. Leading up to the final, he scored more than 20 in four successive matches from down the order, including a half-century against Bangladesh.

Axar Patel
Runs: 92, Strike-rate: 139.39, Wickets: 9, Economy: 7.86

Vital cameos with the bat, one of the best catches in the tournament, and crucial spells with the ball, Axar Patel did it all through the T20 World Cup. His ability to adapt to different roles and make impactful performances proved critical to India's title-winning charge. In the final, promoted up the order, Axar made a brilliant, counter-attacking 47 that helped Virat Kohli settle in and play the anchor role. In the semi-finals, he produced a Player of the Match performance against England, taking 3/23 with the ball.

Axar Patel takes ‘unbelievable’ catch to remove Australia’s captain | AUS v IND | T20WC 2024
Rashid Khan
Wickets: 14, Average: 12.78, Economy: 6.17, Best: 4/17

Rashid Khan led the Afghanistan team brilliantly, producing impressive performances with the ball as the team created history with a semi-final entry. Rashid took 14 wickets in the tournament, bowling at a brilliant economy rate of 6.17. The Afghanistan spinner finished as the fifth-highest wicket-taker with his clutch performance against Bangladesh (4/23 and 19*) helping the team reach the semi-final. He also took 4/17 in their win over New Zealand earlier in the tournament to inspire the team past the Group stage.

Jasprit Bumrah
Wickets: 15, Average: 8.26, Economy: 4.17, Best: 3/7

The Player of the Tournament and India's trump card in their title win, Jasprit Bumrah was unstoppable. More than the 15 wickets he took, his impact in restricting the scoring rate of teams made Bumrah India's most important player right through the tournament. His economy rate of 4.17 is the best ever by any bowler in a single edition of the men's T20 World Cup.

Arshdeep Singh
Wickets: 17, Average: 12.64, Economy: 7.16, Best: 4/9

Arshdeep Singh finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 wickets in eight matches. The left-arm fast bowler was the perfect foil for Jasprit Bumrah with the ball and shone with his early Powerplay spells. In the final, Arshdeep played a vital role in India's win, taking the big wicket of Quinton de Kock at a crucial point in the match and then went on to bowl a brilliant penultimate over, conceding just four runs.

Fazalhaq Farooqi
Wickets: 17, Average: 9.41, Economy: 6.31, Best: 5/9

The joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament, Farooqi played a major role in guiding Afghanistan to a historic first semi-final appearance. His 17 wickets came at a brilliant economy rate of 6.31 and the left-arm quick made early inroads into the opposition line-up to put Afghanistan on top in several games. He took 5/9 against Uganda in the best spell of the tournament and also helped Afghanistan beat New Zealand with a four-wicket haul.

12th man: Anrich Nortje
Wickets: 15, Average: 13.4, Economy: 5.74, Best: 4/7

Anrich Nortje had a brilliant tournament with the ball, using his pace and extra bounce to keep batters quiet. Nortje began the tournament with a brilliant 4/7 against Sri Lanka and took at least one wicket in all but one match. In the final, he was the pick of South Africa’s bowlers with figures of 2/26 in his four overs.

  The Windies currently lead their five-match T20 series against Australia, 3-1. So far, Pooran has made a total of 65 runs in three innings. He was run out in the first game for just 17 from 16 deliveries and did not bat in game 2.  He had a better game 3 when he scored a responsible 32 not out from 27 deliveries to build a partnership with Chris Gayle that led the Windies to the series victory.

Despite that good performance in the previous game, Pooran was dismissed cheaply once again in game 4. With the West Indies chasing 190 to win, he was caught off the bowling of Mitchell Marsh for just 16 from 15 deliveries.

Pooran’s lack of form has been a concern for many West Indies cricket fans and analysts since the IPL earlier this year. The left-hander, who represents the Punjab Kings, only managed 28 runs from 7 matches before the tournament was halted due to the rising COVID cases in India. He was dismissed for a duck 4 times out of his 6 innings with his highest score being 19.

“I’m not worried about myself to be honest. You know I’m getting starts which is very important. A couple of months ago (during the IPL), I wasn’t even getting starts at all so I’m very thankful, very happy to actually be getting starts. So, I’m not worried about myself in all honesty,” Pooran told members of the media during a press conference on Thursday.

  The West Indies will play the final game of their T20 series against Australia tonight at the Darren Sammy National Stadium in St Lucia. They will then move on to Barbados for a three-match ODI series.   

The Tridents won the toss and elected to bowl first with Pooran promoting himself up the order to open. It was a move that worked out immediately with 30 runs coming off the first over, 24 of them made by Pooran.

The early loss of Brandon King did not slow the Warriors down with Shimron Hetmyer joining Pooran in smashed the Tridents bowling around the Oval, although a good few of the boundaries came via the edge of the bat.

Pooran brought up his fifty from just 10 balls on his way to 63 (13) to set up a total of 133/4 from their five overs. Although Pooran was the star, he was well supported, first by Hetmyer and then by Ross Taylor.

It was a daunting target, and the Tridents were under pressure to get off to a good start. They got just that thanks to Johnson Charles who made 29 (8) but his departure brought with it a collapse with three wickets falling with the score on 43. That became 53-5 with three wickets in an over from Imran Tahir.

The Tridents never recovered from that cluster of wickets and as they searched for boundaries to get themselves back into the game the wickets continued to fall, with three more going to the spin of Chandrapaul Hemraj. The Tridents went from 43-1 to 73 all out as the Warriors won by a massive 60 runs.

In the end, the West Indies got to the line with quite a few deliveries to spare, in large part due to a steady 119 by opening batsman Shai Hope.  Hope, however, also received plenty of support at the top of the order, including a 120-run partnership with Sharmarh Brooks for the first wicket.

Nkrumah Bonner didn’t add much to the total in the way o partnerships, after being dismissed without scoring and Pooran might also have done better after adding just 7.  However, another strong partnership between Hope and Brandon King, who added 116 for the fourth wicket, saw the team well over the line.  King added 58 for a maiden half-century.

“The way the batsmen went about it, the opening partnership of 100 plus, that was fantastic.  That’s something we have been working on as a team, just trying to build partnerships,” Pooran said, following the match.

“Hope was excellent, as usual, Sharmarh Brooks got the opportunity to bat and grabbed it with both hands.  Brandon King came and also did well in the end there, he didn’t leave it for anyone.  Kudos to King and Hope for bringing the game home for us,” he added.

Shamarh Brooks (167 runs from three games), Shai Hope (161 runs from three games) and Brandon King (159 runs from three games) were all among the top five run-scorers in the series.

The Caribbean side comfortably chased targets in the first two games reaching 249-3 in the first game and 217-5 in the second game before posting 308-5 in the third contest and batting their full quota of overs in the process.

“Batting 50 overs was one of the goals we set before the series and we achieved that in the last game,” Pooran said in an interview on Sunday.

The Windies had three centurions in the series with Shai Hope, Shamarh Brooks and Kyle Mayers all reaching three figures, something Pooran says is a good sign going forward.

“I think the batsmen are settling in nicely and taking their opportunity,” he said.

“It’s always important getting multiple batsmen scoring centuries. It’s very important for a team in terms of getting a big score or a score to actually defend. It shows that the batsmen are hungry for runs and willing to spend time in the middle to get those big runs,” Pooran added.

Pooran, who was on his first assignment as the West Indies official ODI skipper, said the inexperienced squad made the series triumph more special.

“I felt it was a really good one for us. It’s a new team and I felt like we bonded really well. We spoke about learning on the job and taking this opportunity,” he said.

Pooran and his team’s next assignment will be the three-ODI series against Pakistan in Multan on June 8, 10 and 12.

Nicholas Pooran’s golden run with the bat rolled on in spectacular fashion, as the West Indies power-hitter unleashed another breathtaking assault, this time on Kolkata Knight Riders, to lead the Lucknow Super Giants to a narrow but thrilling four-run win in a high-scoring Indian Premier League (IPL) classic under the lights on Tuesday.

In recent times, however, Pooran has embraced a new role at the top of the innings.  He recently explained how the roles differ.

“Massive difference. At three sometimes, if you come in in the powerplay, the ball is swinging, it's then just a matter of facing a couple balls and you basically have the freedom to execute your skills to maximize only two fielders being outside the circle,’” Pooran said in a recent interview with EspnCricinfo.

“Batting later and coming in the tenth or 15th over, it's about having that clarity in your execution, the skill and ability to perform in those different roles,” Pooran added.

He also emphasized the importance of being versatile as a T20 batsman.

“If you look around at international cricket, not many openers can finish an innings, so to me it's about being versatile and working on your skills to adapt. But it's definitely easier batting at the top of the innings than in the back end,” Pooran said.

In the West Indies' last T20 international series against India, Pooran scored three fifties in as many games batting at the number three slot.

He will hope to bring that versatility to the Sunrisers Hyderabad for the Indian Premier League which gets underway on March 26^th. Pooran’s Sunrisers open their tournament on March 29^th against the Rajasthan Royals.

In an interview with ESPNCricinfo last Friday, the West Indies T20 vice-captain shed some light on how he feels about representing the region in the longest format of the game.

“Playing Test cricket is still in my plans, but as I say, everything happens at the right time. When it's my time to play Test cricket, I'm sure I will,” he said.

One way that Pooran could find his way into the West Indies Test team is by playing first-class cricket but that has proven to be logistically challenging.

“After the IPL finishes in May, West Indies have a few white-ball series, so I don't know when there's actually time for me to play first-class cricket or what the way forward is. It's a challenge,” he said.

“It's difficult, we don't really get much time off for ourselves. I believe there should be a compromise, but everyone sees it differently,” he added.

Since his debut in 2014, Pooran has only played five first-class matches with the last one being in December 2020 for the West Indies A against New Zealand A.

Pooran, who is set to represent the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL), said he has already had conversations with Desmond Haynes, the lead selector for the West Indies men’s senior team about his red-ball prospects.

“We had a small conversation. It went well actually, so let's see what happens in the future. Going forward, it's a conversation I need to have with the selectors and coach,” he said.

Pooran, who came into the match with scores of 77 and 80, scored 34 from just 17 balls as Gladiators posted 140-2 from their 10 overs.

After losing Jason Roy for four in the first over, Pooran hit three fours and two sixes as he and opener Tom Kohler-Cadmore added 122 for the second wicket. Pooran was eventually dismissed in the ninth over by Waquas Maqsood, who took 1-21.

Meanwhile, Kohler-Cadmore blasted his way to an unbeaten 82 with eight fours and six sixes.

He and Andre Russell put on 12 in the final eight balls with the Jamaican scoring 10 that included a six over extra cover off Shimraz Ahmed, who conceded 11 in the over.

Imad Wasim had figures of 1-17.

Delhi Bulls made a good fist of it to score 122-4 from their 10 overs.

They owed their solid effort to a 24-ball 48 from Tim David and Rilee Rossouw, who scored 28 from 15. However, needing to score 14 an over proved too much for Delhi Bulls despite a gallant 14 not out from eight balls from Keemo Paul at the end.

David and Rossouw put on 79 for the third wicket after Tom Banton (12) and Rahkeem Cornwall (2) were back in the hutch in the third over with 26 runs on the board.

Russell got rid of the dangerous David in the ninth over effectively swinging the pendulum in Gladiators’ favour for the remaining 10 balls from which the Delhi Bulls could only muster 17 runs.

Russell’s two overs cost 26 runs but Josh Little proved much more effective with the wickets of Cornwall and Rossouw to return figures of 2-11.

At Providence in Guyana, the West Indies white-ball captain hit five fours and five sixes in his match-winning 39-ball 74 while Mayers hit two fours and five sixes in his score of 55 made from just 38 balls.

The pair came together after the West Indies, needing 164 for victory, lost the wickets of Brandon King (7), Shamarh Brooks (12) and Odean Smith (2) by the seventh over with 43 runs on the board.

Together they added 83 in 51 balls before Mayers was dismissed by Nasum Ahmed, who had earlier had King caught at mid-on.

Pooran and Rovman Powell put on 25 for the fifth wicket but after facing only nine balls, the vice-captain was caught in the deep, off the bowling of Afif Hossein for five in the 18^th over.

However, by then the West Indies needed only 11 runs to put a wrap on the series and the captain duly obliged. Two balls after Powell’s dismissal, Pooran smashed Afif for six and then smashed the second ball of the 19^th bowled by Mahmudullah over the umpire’s head to bring an end to the match.

Ahmed took 2-44 while Mahedi Hasan, Shakib al Hasan and Afif each had one wicket.

Having won the toss and opting to bat, Bangladesh produced their best score of the series, 163-5.

Opener Litton Das scored 49 and Afif, an even 50, which helped the tourists to a competitive total. The pair shared in a third-wicket stand of 57 when Das was trapped lbw by Hayden Walsh Jr.

Afif found another useful partner in Mahmudullah and together they put on 49 for the fourth wicket and threatened to push the score beyond 170.

However, Bangladesh lost two wickets in the 19^th over stalling their progress. Mahmudullah was out lbw to Walsh for 22 and then Afif was run out to leave the tourists on 150-5.

Mosaddek Hossain, who remained unbeaten on 10, carved out consecutive boundaries off Obed McCoy in the final over but ultimately it proved not to be enough.

Walsh was the best of the West Indies bowlers with 2-25. Romario Shepherd took 1-19 from two overs. Odean Smith continued to prove to be expensive conceding 34 runs from the three overs he bowled while claiming the wicket of opener Anamul Haque for 10.

Pooran, who scored 34 in the second T20, was also named Player of the Series.

The Knight Riders won the toss and opted to field first and that was to prove to be an inspired decision as the Jamaica Tallawahs struggled to post a competitive total. Other than Imad Wasim who hit a valiant 62, no one else was able to stick with him to help the Tallawahs pose a more challenging total than 154-8.

The Knight Riders were to make light of the chase as Nicholas Pooran followed up his unbeaten century with a rapid 54 off 35 balls. That knock laid the foundation and the Knight Riders were to chase down the remainder of the total with minimum fuss.

Earlier, the Tallawahs found their innings choked by spin as Brandon King and Amir Jangoo fell inside the PowerPlay with the defending champions only reaching 29-2 at the end of the first six overs.

The squeeze continued outside the PowerPlay with the Tallawahs leaving themselves a lot to do at the backend as they reached 102-4 with five overs to go.

However, Imad Wasim made light of the pitch with a timely half-century off 26 balls but when he fell in the final over, the Tallawahs were unable to add enough late blows to make their total a more threatening one.

The Trinbago Knight Riders chased down the 155 required with ease. Fifties from Nicholas Pooran (54) and Martin Guptill (53*) with the added theatrics of some Andre Russell muscle saw the Knight Riders see the game home with 16 balls to spare.

Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 155-3 (Pooran 54, Guptill 53*; Wasim 2-28, Green 1-29) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 154-8 (Wasim 62, Blackwood 29; Khan 3-27, Narine 2-29) by 7 wickets

The former West Indies fast bowler believes that had Pooran, and a couple others, had been in the West Indies team in England this past summer, the outcome of the series might have been different.

During the #Raisethebat series in England in July, the West Indies won the first Test in Southamption only to be comprehensibly beaten in the next two matches at Old Trafford and subsequently lose the series 2-1.

Darren Bravo and Shimron Heymyer had declined invitations to participate citing safety concerns but Pooran was never considered for selection. Holding believes that had those three been there things might have been different.

“They were competitive against England without, in my opinion, three of their better batsmen. Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer chose not to come and they didn’t select Nicholas Pooran, who I think is very talented and should be playing Test cricket,” Holding said during an interview with Wisden Cricket Monthly.

“If they all played I think the series would have been a lot closer and, in fact, I have an inkling that West Indies might have won because runs on the board was their problem.”

Pooran has only played three first-class matches in which he has scored 143 runs at an average of 23.83. However, the player has excited fans in the shorter forms of the game, most recently for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL where his six-hitting and stroke making triggered debate as to whether he should take his obvious talents to the longest form of the game.  Pooran averages 25.68 in T20s and 49.05 in 25 ODI matches in which he has a top score of 118.

The ongoing debate has reached the ears of CWI Chief Selector Roger Harper.

In a recent response to questions from the media regarding Pooran’s selection to the West Indies Test squad, Harper said the player would be availed of a chance to prove himself in the longer form of the game during the upcoming tour of New Zealand set to run from November 27 to December 15.

In addition to the three T20 matches in which Pooran will be involved, and two Tests, the West Indies are down to play two first-class matches from December 3-7 and December 11-15, in Hamilton and Wellington, respectively.

Harper said the Trinidadian would be given an opportunity to play in those matches.

“There was a lot of consideration given to Nicholas Pooran; we are still looking at it and I am sure as we move forward, Pooran will have an opportunity as well,” Harper said. “He is in the T20 squad and he has expressed willingness to play in four-day games that will be available during the tour."