Nicholas Pooran steps down as West Indies white-ball captain

(ESPNcricinfo) – Nicholas Pooran has stepped down as white-ball captain of West Indies following the team’s first-round exit from the 2022 T20 World Cup, Cricket West Indies has confirmed.

Pooran had taken over the captaincy from Kieron Pollard in May earlier this year.

“I have given the captaincy a great deal of thought since the enormous disappointment of the T20 World Cup,” Pooran said. “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.”

“This is not me giving up. I remain ambitious and still view the captaincy of West Indies cricket as an honour that is bestowed upon you. There is no doubt I remain fully committed to West Indies cricket and I look forward to providing my services as a senior player in a supportive role.

“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.”

It's clear Pooran was pressured to step down. His recent improvement in batting now must be consistent.