To win the T20 World Cup, West Indies have to function as a team: Nicholas Pooran
West Indies T20 vice-captain Nicholas Pooran believes the Windies will have to come together and perform as a unit if they want to win the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup.
Over the next six weeks, West Indies will play T20I series against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan before traveling to the UAE to defend their T20 World Cup title in October.
Stating that a tournament like the T20 World Cup will be won by a unit and not individuals, Nicholas Pooran feels that the upcoming series will largely be about how the team bonds.
Pooran said in a virtual press conference ahead of the 1st T20I against South Africa:
“So, to me, it’s not all about the cricket but it's also about how much we can look out for each other, how much we can be a team. At the end of the day, you don’t win a World Cup by one person performing or two persons performing, but by everyone playing their part, and that’s our key."
He added:
"Our keys are to look after each other, be as honest as we can with each other and then you know the results on the field will take care of itself because, at the end of the day, we all want to perform, we all want to win.”
Earlier this week, West Indies lost the Test series against South Africa by a 2-0 margin. The Windies will now be eyeing a stronger comeback in the shortest format.
"We want the full support of the West Indians" - Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran urged the Caribbean people to support the West Indies team, who hope to win back the fans.
The 25-year-old believes that in Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, West Indies have some of the best T20 players in the world. But the key will be to bond well as a team. Pooran said:
“I think we picked our best 18 provisional squad. It’s important for us just to get momentum and get our fans back again. We want the full support of West Indians and the Caribbean people. I just believe that we are building towards the World Cup, and we have to function as a team. Everyone knows how good Chris Gayle is, Russell, Pollard and Dwayne Bravo and the rest of the guys, but at the end of the day, if we can believe in each other, that is really important for us."
He continued:
“I think we have three series before the World Cup. And it’s been a while since we’ve been together for a long time. So, we have a chance to mingle, we have a chance to look out for each other, we have a chance to learn about someone better.”
With a strike rate of almost 144, Nicholas Pooran is one of the most exciting batters in the T20 format. He will start as one of the most important players for the West Indies when they take on South Africa in the first T20I at St. George’s on Saturday.