Sammy claimed that more people will follow the same path.
The last few days have seen shocking retirements from international cricket from players who are at their peak. The reason is simple – more T20 leagues have opened more chances for them to remain occupied throughout the year and earn much more than their cricket boards pay.
Nicholas Pooran is one such player who retired from all forms of international cricket to open more opportunities to feature in franchise cricket. His decision has come as a massive setback for the West Indies, who are preparing for the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
Daren Sammy, West Indies’ head coach, said he was prepared for the worst-case scenario and had already started preparing without Pooran. While highlighting the challenges of coming from the West Indies, Sammy claimed that more people will follow the path that the likes of Pooran and Heinrich Klaasen chose.
“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.”
Nicholas Pooran’s retirement has definitely depleted the West Indies’ chances of succeeding at the T20 World Cup 2026. Pooran is among the finest T20 batters in world cricket and a great asset for any side, who provides balance and power to the unit.
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The effects were already visible on the England tour, where the West Indies failed to win any game in six attempts across ODIs and T20Is. T20I is supposed to be their comfort zone, but the team has hardly had encouraging results in recent years.
They were blanked 3-0 in the T20I series against England, where they failed to capitalise on the moments. At this moment, their expertise against quality bowling lineups remains a big question mark, even though most of them feature in various T20 leagues.
Pooran’s presence would have solved their biggest issue against spinners, given how dominant the southpaw is against slow bowlers. West Indies must prepare quickly for life after Pooran, and fortunately, they have ample T20I matches to try and test various combinations before the next T20 World Cup.
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