Top 3 T20I Knocks Of Nicholas Pooran: Nicholas Pooran shocked the world when he announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 29. Given his age and his indispensability to the West Indies white-ball teams, and the fact that the T20 World Cup will be played early next year, this is a shocking decision as far as the fans are concerned.
Pooran’s retirement, following that of Heinrich Klaasen recently, is a huge loss to limited-overs international cricket and will certainly make a huge dent in their respective nations’ hopes for the next two white-ball ICC events.
However, decisions like Pooran’s and Klaasen’s are justified given their national boards aren’t as financially strong as BCCI, CA, and ECB; and given that a player’s playing career is limited, their choosing to prioritise playing in T20 leagues over international cricket is understandable.
Like Klaasen, Pooran is also one of the most sought-after T20 players in the world. The southpaw is among the most destructive white-ball batsmen who can drag the momentum to his side in just a matter of a few overs. Not many batsmen can intimidate the opposition captain and bowlers as Pooran does.
He retires as West Indies’ most capped T20I player and the highest run-scorer in the shortest format. Pooran scored 2275 runs in 106 T20Is with 13 fifties. He also featured in 61 ODIs, in which he scored 1983 runs with 11 fifties and three centuries.
Let us look at Nicholas Pooran’s best T20I innings.
Top 3 T20I Knocks Of Nicholas Pooran
3. 65* vs South Africa, Tarouba, 2024
In August 2024, in the first T20I of the South Africa tour of West Indies 2024, Nicholas Pooran absolutely blew the Proteas away with a sensational knock of 65* off 26 balls.
Chasing 175, Pooran, batting at No. 3, smashed seven jaw-dropping sixes and only two fours to seal the target with 13 balls left. He was duly named Player of the Match for making light work of a daunting chase.
2. 82* vs England, St. George’s, 2023
Against the then-reigning T20 world champions, England, Nicholas Pooran produced an eye-catching innings in December 2023 at St. George’s. Batting first, on a flat deck, West Indies lost both their openers in the first two overs.
However, unperturbed by the loss of early wickets, Pooran rampaged against the England bowling attack that included Reece Topley, Tymal Mills, Gus Atkinson, Sam Curran, and Adil Rashid.
The southpaw hammered six fours and six sixes as he finished with 82 off 45 balls, his knock propelling the hosts to 222. However, West Indies lost the match as Phil Salt played a blinder of a knock, whacking 109* off 56.
1. 98 vs Afghanistan, Gros Islet, 2024
Nicholas Pooran’s highest score in T20Is is 98, which he cracked against Afghanistan in June 2024 at Gros Islet during their Group C match in the T20 World Cup.
Batting first, Pooran tore into the Afghanistan bowlers with a terrific display of timing and power-hitting. Pooran blasted six fours and eight sixes in his thunderous knock of 98 off 53 balls. Unfortunately, he got run out in the last over of the innings and missed his maiden T20I ton by only two runs.
His blazing knock helped West Indies post 218, chasing which, Afghanistan were bundled out for only 114.
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