West Indies’ top T20 batter Nicholas Pooran retires from internationals

By Canadian Press on June 9, 2025.

ST. JOHN’S, Antigua (AP) — Nicholas Pooran, West Indies’ Twenty20 record-holder for runs and appearances, retired from international cricket on Monday.

Pooran, 29, made the announcement on Instagram.

“Wearing that maroon, standing for the anthem, and giving everything I had each time I stepped on the field… it’s hard to put into words what that truly means to me,” he wrote. “To have led the team as captain is a privilege I will always hold close to my heart.”

Pooran was suspended briefly in late 2019 after admitting to ball-tampering against Afghanistan, and overcame that to be named West Indies T20 vice captain about 18 months later for a tour by Australia. But he became captain when Kieron Pollard couldn’t play, and led the team to a 4-1 series win.

In 2022, he was named the permanent white-ball captain and took the team to that year’s T20 World Cup in Australia, but in fallout from a first-round elimination he resigned.

He starred when the West Indies hosted the T20 World Cup last year, overtaking Chris Gayle as the team’s all-time leading scorer, and hitting his highest T20 score, 98 against Afghanistan.

Pooran played 106 T20s for 2,275 runs at an average of 26.14. He also played 61 one-day internationals, including three centuries and one World Cup.

Cricket West Indies praised Pooran as a game-changer, and with “sincere gratitude and appreciation … for his outstanding contributions. His performances on the field and influence within the team have made a lasting impact on West Indies cricket.”

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The Associated Press