Former West Indies Director of Cricket Baldath Mahabir believes Nicholas Pooran has done the right thing by stepping down as the West Indies white-ball captain to focus on his game.
Meanwhile, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force coach David Furlonge was caught off guard by Pooran’s announcement. “I’m surprised at the decision but it’s his decision and we support him in what he thinks is best for his cricket and for West Indies cricket,” Furlonge said. “He was happy as captain of the Red Force and was proud of the performances of the players.”
Speaking to Express yesterday, Mahabir said he was not shocked by the move and, given the disastrous World Cup campaign, more people needed to own up to their failures. “I think Nikola did the right thing,” said Mahabir.
“The team has failed. His game took a bit of a dip, so he needs to focus his attention on building his credentials before taking the team forward,” he added. “So I think given the T20 World Cup debacle, more people need to own up and say we’ve failed.”
But Mahabir pointed out that the full blame for the team’s downfall cannot be laid at the captain’s feet. He said there is an inherent weakness in naming leaders in West Indies cricket. “You cannot put a man without the necessary skills and training in a leadership position in West Indies cricket. You have to make an assessment of the individual; his strengths and see where he is weak and then do the necessary coaching with the individual before appointing that individual captain,” he says.
“It’s almost like the corporate world where you give them the terms of reference and the objectives, but you have to train the captain to meet it,” adding, “There’s a lot more to the captain in the modern game than in years past. You have people management, strategic management, game management, pre and post game management, media and sponsor relations, so captaincy is a poisoned chalice if you are not properly trained for it. And whoever they put as captain without the training necessary, the same will happen,” said Mahabir.
“There has to be a strong bond between the boardroom and the dressing room and the management of West Indies cricket and the team. All of these things must happen before you have a successful captain. It’s not the players fault. They accept it because it is a prestigious position, but have they prepared for it?
“The game went exceptionally well. If you look at soccer… In 1989 almost today, the USA were chasing their tails to beat T&T and beat us 1-0. See where soccer is in the USA today and where soccer T&T is today. That’s the problem with cricket. We have no structure and framework; we simply identify a man as a potential captain. So now we will be in the case of Rovman (Powell) because he won two tournaments, but if we don’t give Rovman the necessary skills and strengthen him for the role, then history is doomed to repeat itself,” argued Mahabir.
“Captainship and leadership is not an ad-hoc, vy-kee-vy thing, that the fans can say put Rovman or Nikolas as captain and it has to be done. So Nicholas was almost certain to fail.”
He said if Powell is to be considered for leadership, he must go through the necessary evaluation and training, and his role, functions and responsibilities must be clearly communicated. And, as in the corporate world, he must be delivered and evaluated during his tenure.
West Indies’ next white-ball series is against South Africa in March 2023.
