Who Will Replace Nicholas Pooran? - 3 Possible Replacements for Nicholas Pooran in West Indies Squad

West Indies wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran, who is perhaps the best T20 batter in the game right now, made a shocking announcement on Monday night when he announced his decision to retire from all three forms of international cricket. Pooran's decision comes days after Heinrich Klaasen, a South African wicketkeeper and another star of the game in the shortest format, had announced his retirement from international cricket. Even though Pooran plans to keep playing franchise cricket, the choice does cause some purists to wonder about the sport's prospects on a global scale.

Pooran, 29, ends the match as the West Indian with the most T20 International caps ever. With 2,275 runs, the team's top T20I run scorer is the wicket-keeper batter, who has worn the maroon shirt in 106 games. In recent years, a growing number of cricket players have given up playing for their country to focus solely on their franchise. In their prime, a few of these athletes made the decision to hang up their boots. The most recent example is Pooran, who has also represented the West Indies internationally. 

Three Possible Successors of Nicholas Pooran:

3. Alick Athanaze:

To date, Alick Athanaze has participated in four T20Is, thirteen ODIs, and thirteen Test matches. With a 45-ball 65 against the UAE in the ODI format, the southpaw had a strong start to his international career. Earlier this year, Athanaze played his final international match against Pakistan in Multan in the red-ball format. Similar to Pooran, he enjoys attacking the bowlers. But for most people, the latter's power game is unmatched.

2. Amir Jangoo:

Like Nicholas Pooran, Amir Jangoo is a left-handed batsman and wicketkeeper. The Southpaw recently played for the West Indies team before England whitewashed it.  In the Super50 Cup 2024–25, the top domestic 50-over competition in the West Indies, Jangoo scored the most runs. In seven innings, he amassed 446 runs at a strike rate of 86.77 and an average of 89.20. At least for the Windies in white-ball cricket, Jangoo can develop into a dependable wicketkeeper-batter.

1. Sherfane Rutherford:

Sherfane Rutherford has a long history in the West Indies cricket scene. He is only 26 years old, though. At the age of 20, he made his international debut in December 2018. Rutherford has represented the West Indies in 30 T20Is and 13 ODIs.   With his propensity to knock boundaries all over the park, the West Indian likes to put the bowlers to the test. At a strike rate of 109.68, he is averaging an incredible 70.88 in ODIs.

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