Sammy predicts many will follow Pooran's path
Daren Sammy with Nicholas Pooran
West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has shared his thoughts on Nicholas Pooran's unexpected retirement from international cricket at just 29, viewing it as a reflection of the ongoing challenge to keep Caribbean players inspired to represent their national side.
Sammy, while respecting Pooran’s decision, admitted that it wasn’t entirely unforeseen and said he had already begun preparing for his absence before the official announcement.
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Pooran, West Indies’ highest run-scorer in T20Is, announced his international retirement on Monday, opting to focus on franchise cricket despite being a key figure for the team. His departure, coming less than a year before the T20 World Cup, raised eyebrows across the cricketing world.
Sammy, who led West Indies to T20 World Cup glory in 2012 and 2016, explained that a prior exchange with Pooran and his agent gave him an early sense of the player's intentions. He revealed:
“Nicholas sent me a text message, and so did I have a conversation with his agent as well… When we first spoke about the UK tour and the conversation I had with him, I did ask him, ‘Are you unavailable for the UK tour only, or indefinite?’ And from that response, I just knew I had to start preparing for the worst case." Sammy said.
While Sammy emphasized that he would have liked Pooran to remain part of the setup, he acknowledged the player's right to shape his own career.
“Ideally, a talent like that, I would love to have him in the team. But I don’t control nor could I control anybody’s careers… I wished him well, he wished the team well. It is [about] trying to move on now from planning a gameplan without Nicholas Pooran. With a World Cup coming ahead, I respect the fact that he told us early enough so we have more time to plan without him.”
Addressing the team after West Indies’ sixth straight white-ball defeat to England, Sammy took the opportunity to speak to his players about the deeper meaning behind wearing the West Indies jersey.
“Surprised? No, I'm not surprised. I said something to the guys in the team meeting today: we don't have control. It's up to each individual. I made my debut in 2004 right at this ground, and I see here today in the stands the same people from 2004 - 21 years ago - the same fans: loyal, coming, bringing food, and everything they've been doing that way before I started, for Sir Viv [Richards] and these guys."
He stressed that representing West Indies holds deep cultural and emotional significance for many fans across the diaspora.
“The passion they have travelling from London, all over, coming to watch us playing - not because we are great, [but] because of the love they have for the game and for West Indies cricket; what it meant to them when West Indies came here back in the 80s with Sir Viv and Clive [Lloyd], and they won games; the feeling it gave them during that era, walking down the streets, going to work the following day."
“It is up to us, each individual, to understand what the brand and the crest means, and come out and play a brand that those people come and travel three hours to watch you play because of what the crest means to them. It is up to each player to go out and put in that type of passion out there. I could only speak about it, but I can't force anybody to do it, just like I can't tell anybody when to call time on their career.”
Sammy concluded by predicting that Pooran’s decision could become a trend, with more players likely to step away from the international stage early, in favor of franchise opportunities.
"I'm pretty sure more will follow in that mood, in that direction," Sammy said. "That's the way T20 cricket is now, and especially coming from the West Indies, with the challenges that we face trying to keep our players motivated to play for the crest, so I wouldn't be surprised. You saw everybody talk about Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, these guys who've retired. It's out of our control."
