West Indies white-ball captain Nicholas Pooran will use his side’s injury-riddled first-round exit in the T20 World Cup as “motivation” to bounce back strongly.
The Windies failed to make it to the ongoing flagship tournament of the T20 World Cup for the first time after suffering defeats against Scotland and Ireland last week.
“Obviously, we don’t know what the future holds, but we’ll take it day by day,” Pooran said ahead of the Super50 Cup, West Indies’ regional one-day tour, where he will lead Trinidad & Tobago.
“Again, it was a learning experience for all of us and this is our journey and our story. Time will tell what happens, but for now it’s just about focusing on ourselves and how we can improve as individuals. “
The reaction to West Indies’ early exit was sharp and swift, with CWI president Ricky Skerritt blaming the strikers and promising a “full post mortem”. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting was also critical of the West Indies’ performances, calling their first-round exit a “disgrace”. Phil Simmons, meanwhile, has stepped down as coach, with his final assignment set to be a two-Test series in Australia starting next month.
Pooran also suggested that he would not retire as captain but try to learn from these setbacks.
“I have been thinking for the last two months…Playing cricket is my dream and obviously I have also had my test in life and this is another test for me,” he said.
“I am a person who embraces challenges and this was just another one for me. This will not stop me. I will continue to learn from my experiences and again I am happy that I can wake up in the morning and see that I I have a chance to play cricket again.”
Pooran’s immediate focus will be to help Trinidad & Tobago defend their Super50 title, with the tour scheduled to begin on Saturday.
