West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran says he is 'Instinctive' on the field
May 30, 2022
St. John's [Antigua], May 30 : West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran said he is very instinctive in his decisions on the field ahead of the three-match ODI series against the Netherlands in Amsterdam starting on Tuesday at VRA Cricket stadium.
Left-hander had previously captained West Indies in two ODIs and eight T20Is and Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL.
"I'm very instinctive. On the field, I like to make decisions on how I feel. My teammates know I'm very instinctive when I'm batting as well. As a captain, I want to approach it in the same way," Pooran said at a virtual press conference on Friday.
"I'll try my best to lead from the front. I want to talk the talk and walk the walk," he added.
"I live in the present, try to be the best version of myself, try to be the best leader I can be. It's as simple as that," he said.
West Indies had picked new young players for this series and the upcoming tour of Pakistan, with Jason Holder rested.
Pooran said that this series against the Netherlands will be a wonderful opportunity for young players and we should focus on winning.
"I wouldn't say there's a right time. We want to win games, it doesn't matter who the opposition is. We're not looking at it like that. The time is now and that's all we need to focus on," he added.
"Everyone deserves an opportunity at some point in their career and it's really good that the younger players are getting an opportunity now. It's a good opportunity for them to showcase their talent and try to grab a spot in the team," he said.
"It has been good. I think a lot of guys are happy in terms of it being free here and Amsterdam is a beautiful place. We're looking forward to the opportunity to play some cricket and feed off each other," said Pooran.
Talking about the T20 World Cup coming up in October, Pooran said Sunil Narine's availability for the T20 World Cup later this year was a matter for him to discuss directly with the selectors.
"What Sunil wants, I'm in no control of that. But that's a conversation between him and the selectors - what his aspirations are when it comes to West Indies cricket," he said.
"The end goal is to win cricket games and to win tournaments. But obviously, there is a process behind that. It's a new time for us. I believe that we have a lot of talented players with us here but we need to really work hard and come up with the goods."
West Indies squad for ODI series against Netherlands and Pakistan: Nicholas Pooran (C), Shai Hope (VC), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Shermon Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Rovman Powell, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, and Hayden Walsh Jr.
Fixtures --
West Indies tour of Netherlands -- May 31: 1st ODI at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen, June 2: 2nd ODI at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen, and June 4: 3rd ODI at VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen.
West Indies tour of Pakistan -- June 8: 1st ODI at Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi, June 10: 2nd ODI at Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi, and June 12: 3rd ODI at Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi.
