Nicholas Pooran, West Indies' highest scorer in T20I cricket, announced his international retirement on June 10, 2025. His retirement came as a shock to many as he was aging just 29 and was one of the best T20I batters of the modern game.
Pooran joined the likes of Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen who have announced their international retirements at a young age. The southpaw decided to retire with the T20 World Cup being just 8 months away scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.
Interestingly, Pooran's retirement call came just a few days after he informed Cricket West Indies his decision to pull out from the recently completed T20I series against England. The Windies were whitewashed in the ODI and T20I series in Pooran's absence.
Also Read:Â West Indies' T20I Run-Machine Nicholas Pooran Retires from International Cricket at 29
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Darren Sammy Not Surprised By Nicholas Pooran's Retirement Call
Now, Darren Sammy the West Indies head coach has broken his silence on Pooran's international retirement. He said that Pooran had texted him ahead of the tour to England letting him know of his decision.
"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" said Sammy.
Sammy further predicted that more players will follow Pooran's example and retire early from the game given the benefits of T20 cricket leagues all across the globe. He said that these superstars calling early retirement is out of their control.
"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."
Also Read:Â MLC 2025: Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Heinrich Klaasen to Lead as Teams Announce New Captains
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Nicholas Pooran's Numbers In International Cricket
Pooran ended his international career after playing 61 T20Is and 106 ODIs and scoring more than 4000 runs across the two formats. He also ends up as the highest run-scorer for West Indies in international T20s.
Also Read: "Who retires so early?" - Aakash Chopra weighs in as stars retire early from international cricket
