Nicholas Pooran steps down as West Indies captain after forgetful campaign at T20 World Cup 2022

Nicholas Pooran has stepped down as West Indies captain after a forgetful campaign at the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.

After a disastrous campaign in the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia, Nicholas Pooran has decided to step down as the captain of the West Indies cricket team from the limited-overs format. Two-time champions West Indies were dumped out of the ICC event after the Pooran-led side finished bottom in the group stage at the T20 World Cup. The West Indies side suffered embarrassing defeats at the hands of Scotland and Ireland as the former champions failed to enter the Super 12 phase of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

West Indies' captain Nicholas Pooran takes the catch to dismiss New Zealand's Finn Allen (AP)

Days after Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt slammed the dreadful run of the Men from the Caribbean in Australia, power-hitter Pooran relinquished the captaincy from the shortest format of the game. Pooran was appointed the West Indies white-ball captain after veteran all-rounder Kieron Pollard announced his retirement from international cricket in May.

"I have given the captaincy a great deal of thought since the enormous disappointment of the T20 World Cup. 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.

Under his leadership, West Indies only managed to win four out of 15 One Day Internationals (ODIs). The Pooran-led side secured wins in four out of 15 T20I matches. Pooran's West Indies only won a single match at the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. Talking about Pooran's performances with the bat, the former Windies skipper scored 94 runs in his last 10 T20I innings. The-ex Windies captain notched up forgetful scores of 5, 7 and 13 at the T20 World Cup.

"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. 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," Pooran added.