Just before the T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to begin on February 7, Cricket West Indies reached out to their ex-captain Nicholas Pooran regarding his international cricket career’s possible rebound.
West Indies Contact Nicholas Pooran Over Possible Comeback
West Indies Cricket was in talks with Nicholas Pooran about his possible return from retirement. Their Cricket Director, Miles Bascombe, stated that Pooran was conscious of the World Cup but still preferred to be retired, and the board was not only in contact with him but also respected his decision.
“What I can say is that we have really gone to great lengths to make sure that the best players will serve the West Indies…,” Miles Bascombe shared on WESN TV.
“I can very well state that we have investigated. Pooran knew very well that the World Cup was around the corner, and his decision to retire must have been with that knowledge,” he continued.
“So, we investigated and we discovered that he said not long ago that he was very pleased to adhere to his decision, so I could say that we investigated,” he finished.
Retired from International Cricket but Remains Active in T20 Leagues
Nicholas Pooran retired from international cricket on June 10, 2025, at 29 years old. He finished his career with 1983 runs in 61 ODIs and 2275 runs in 106 T20Is. Even if he is no more part of the international cricket, he has a steady presence in the franchise leagues. His last game for West Indies was in December 2024, during a home T20I series against Bangladesh in Kingstown.
The West Indies have yet to declare their team for the T20 World Cup 2026. Recently, they named the squad for the instant T20I series against Afghanistan, which will be their last encounter before the tournament.
T20 Leagues Nicolás Pooran Gebaar’s Performance
Since the confirmation of his retirement, Nicholas Pooran has performed in various T20 leagues like Major League Cricket (MLC), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), International League T20 (ILT20), and SA20.
For the MLC, he was part of MI New York and took part in 13 games where he made 360 runs with a 36.00 average and a 134.83 strike rate. This also included one century and one fifty.
He was on the team of Trinbago Knight Riders during the CPL and was in 13 games while he scored 426 runs with a 42.60 average and a 133.12 strike rate.
Then in the ILT20, he was part of MI Emirates and played nine games, scoring 267 runs with a 44.50 average and a 117.62 strike rate, of which one was a fifty.
At present, he is participating in the SA20 2026 league with MI Cape Town. In seven innings, he has scored 133 runs at an average of 19.00 and a strike rate of 151.13. Nick is not the same player as before, his retirement has affected his strike rate which now is a bit lower than before.