3 Players who could replace Nicholas Pooran in West Indies squad after his retirement

Nicholas Pooran announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday, June 10, at the age of 29. He represented the West Indies in 61 ODIs and 106 T20Is. Pooran also led the West Indies team in 23 matches in the shortest format.

He aggregated 1983 runs at an average of 39.66 and a strike rate of 99.15 in ODI cricket. The southpaw registered 11 fifties and three centuries in the format. Meanwhile, Pooran finished as the West Indies’ leading run-getter in T20I cricket, with 2275 runs at an average of 26.15 and a strike rate of 136.40. The wicketkeeper-batter notched up 13 half-centuries in T20Is.

While Nicholas Pooran had a decent career for the West Indies, it wasn’t as surreal as his performances in franchise leagues around the world. However, it will still be tough to find a player of his calibre for the Caribbean side. CricTracker takes a look at three players who can potentially fill the void created by Pooran’s retirement.

Here are top three players who could replace Nicholas Pooran in West Indies squad:

3. Alick Athanaze

Alick Athanaze has played 13 Tests, 13 ODIs, and four T20Is so far. The southpaw made a promising start to his international career, scoring a 45-ball 65 against the UAE in the ODI format. He also looked good during his maiden Test series against India. However, a recent spell of indifferent form across formats meant that he is out of the selectors’ radar.

Athanaze’s last international came in the red-ball format earlier this year against Pakistan in Multan. He managed one half-century and three single-digit scores during the two-Test series. The 26-year-old is a fluent batter when he is on song. He likes to take the attack to the bowlers, much like Pooran. However, the latter’s power game is incomparable to most.