Sri Lanka vs West Indies, ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Nicholas Pooran proves his worth with mature, calculated ton

You can never be sure, but Nicholas Pooran’s 143 against Australia during 2014 Under 19 World Cup showed his pedigree. [caption id=“attachment_6916411” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Nicholas Pooran scored his maiden ODI ton on Monday. Reuters[/caption] The West Indies were in dire straits when he arrived in the middle. But the undaunted, lefthander struck 14 fours and half-a-dozen sixes to register the highest score of the tournament. The West Indies went on to lose the game – there was just too much to do. But Pooran, on that day, announced himself to the world as a batsman with the wherewithal to go on to greater things; he showed, to all who were paying attention, that here was a batsman of promise. The Trinidadian went a little way towards fulfilling that promise during the 39th match of the 2019 ICC World Cup when the West Indies took on Sri Lanka at Chester-Le-Street. Pooran compiled 118, made off 103 deliveries with 11 fours and four sixes. It was his first international hundred in his 20th international game, and it was an innings of very high quality. Much like his 2014 innings, his century did not lead to victory. He arrived at the crease at 71/3, at the fall of Chris Gayle’s wicket. As he strode to the middle, the myriad troubles of his team, and the criticisms levelled by fans and pundits was probably not far away from his thoughts. Much of it was as a result of their own failings. A splendid start to their World Cup campaign when they trod all over Pakistan, devolved into a sequence of miscalculations and misjudgments, with each performance seemingly more inept than the last. Their batsmen, especially, has come in for some flak. Overall, the West Indies’ batting reeked of recklessness. Wickets were imprudently gifted too many times, leading to defeat with victory in plain sight. West Indian batsmen have too often made good starts to their innings, only to then throw all away at the slightest provocation. While Pooran has not been the worst offender but he has not been totally innocent either. Against India at Old Trafford, he scored 28 off 50 balls when he tried to free himself from the tight rein in which he was held by the Indian bowlers. An uncontrolled swing at Kuldeep Yadav, buttressed by ill-positioned feet, only resulted in a catch down the throat of the long-off fielder. Against New Zealand, he had made one when he unwisely leaped to hook a sharply rising delivery from Trent Boult. The wicketkeeper gleefully accepted the resulting top edge. The West Indies lost that game by five runs. But the young man knew he could contribute more and so set about to try and make things right. During the game, television broadcasters showed footage of Pooran working on his game the previous day. With coach Mushtaq conducting the session, Pooran could be seen working on the positioning of head and feet while batting, areas in which he clearly needed to improve. That session, along with an increased dose of patience appears to have paid dividends. Unlike his outing against New Zealand, Pooran began his innings watchfully. His first 10 runs all came in singles and he didn’t strike a boundary until his 28th delivery. Thereafter he knocked the ball about fluidly, parading his wide array of strokes. Yet he still retained the awareness to hold himself back while Fabian Allen raged. Pooran added 61 with Jason Holder, who made 26, and 54 with Carlos Brathwaite, who made eight. He and Allen added 83, of which Allen made 51. Pooran’s association with Allen lasted 58 balls, and while they were together the West Indies seemed on course for an exhilarating win. The Jamaican allrounder was finally showing his worth. A number of us had questioned his place in the squad earlier. Not that we thought he couldn’t play; he has two first-class hundreds from just 13 games, one a huge, unbeaten 169 against Trinidad. He has also slammed a few blistering innings in the Carribean Premier League (CPL). But his international outings have been woeful and the thought was that the team would’ve been better off with another in his slot. Against Sri Lanka, he showed why the selectors favoured him. He followed up a creditable bowling performance with a forceful batting display, thumping seven fours and six off 32 deliveries. Should he consistently play in such a manner, no one will dare question his place in the side again. The mix-up that led to his dismissal by runout was unfortunate. During a post-game interview, Pooran claimed to blame himself for the mishap and saw it as a turning point in the game: “I knew once myself and Fabian were batting, we were in control. Actually, the bowlers didn’t know where to bowl and it got easy. Unfortunately then Fabian got run-out there and I felt a bit responsible for that, but we were in total control of the game and it just slipped.” It slipped farther still when Pooran lost his wicket to Angelo Matthews, a man who last bowled a delivery in December 2017. Injury has forced the allrounder to play only as a batsman and so nobody thought he’d have been entrusted with the 48th over. Yet he bowled two overs for six runs and crucially snared Pooran’s wicket with the first ball he delivered. The West Indies’ chances exited the field with the batsman. The 23-year-old has battled through his share of hardships. Four years ago, a car accident left him badly injured, so much so that returning to cricket was not certain. In 2016, he was suspended from Cricket West Indies sponsored tournaments when he snubbed his Leeward Islands contract in order to play in the Bangladesh Premier League. After moving past those setbacks, the young man now seems primed to meet his promise as a batsman of substance. He might not yet be the finished product but he showed, this last game, that he could one day stand with the elites. For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, click here