After Nicholas Pooran’s shock international retirement, West Indies head coach Darren Sammy said that more players will follow suit, adding that it is becoming pretty challenging to keep players motivated to represent their national sides.
“My instincts told me something like that would happen. Ideally, a talent like that, I would love to have him in the team. But I don’t control nor could I control anybody’s careers… I wished him well, he wished the team well. It is (about) trying to move on now from planning a gameplan without Nicholas Pooran. With a World Cup coming ahead, I respect the fact that he told us early enough so we have more time to plan without him,” Sammy said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
Pooran, 29, announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday, just eight months ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“To the Cricket Public: After much thought and reflection, I’ve decided to announce my retirement from International Cricket. This game we love has given and will continue to give so much – joy, purpose, unforgettable memories, and a chance to represent the people of the West Indies. Wearing that maroon, standing for the anthem, and giving everything I had each time I stepped on the field… it’s hard to put into words what that truly means to me,” Pooran wrote.
The swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter is not only West Indies’ all-time leading run-scorer in T20Is, but also a highly sought-after player in the franchise circuit.
Sammy, who led West Indies to title wins twice in T20 World Cups in 2012 and 2016, pointed to the broader trend of early retirements in modern cricket and warned that more players could follow Pooran’s lead.
“I’m pretty sure more will follow in that mood, in that direction. That’s the way T20 cricket is now, and especially coming from the West Indies, with the challenges that we face trying to keep our players motivated to play for the crest, so I wouldn’t be surprised. You saw everybody talk about Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, these guys who’ve retired. It’s out of our control,” Sammy said.
(With agency inputs)
