Perhaps in the more recent history of the West Indies cricket, July 1 was a rather unforgettable date with history and that too, for all the wrong reasons.
Having just succumbed to a rather embarrassing loss in the super over to The Netherlands just days before, the West Indies bowed down to the Scots this time around.
And the Shai Hope-led team went down by 7-wickets, adding one more harrowing result to a long list of woes that’s already soaring with defeats conceded to teams like Zimbabwe and Ireland in the past.
But in the aftermath of the contest and perhaps absorbed by the absurdity that had just transpired, one young man from the West Indies team took to his Instagram account and bared his soul.
His post, part sad but part contemplative, offered some food for thought: “Each pain makes you more strong, each betrayal makes you more intelligent, every disappointment makes you more skilful and each experience makes you more wise.”
The photo accompanying some captivating thoughts was that of a left hander left utterly frustrated- or so it seemed- at having perhaps given his wicket away.
While much of the world was left baffled by what they had seen, the Windies blown away by the strong force of Scottish winds in Zimbabwean territory, Nicholas Pooran was making sense and had perhaps experienced a moment of great reflection.
Truth be told, these are extremely challenging times to be a West Indian fan, but amid the feeling of despair, it is men like Nicholas Pooran who’ve fought on for a side engulfed in a season of disbelief.
At a time where there’s been a total and absolute failure on the part of the West Indies team, sparkling ever so briefly and effective only in lean and sporadic patches, Pooran has been an element of surety.
He’s been anything but that curtain that billows helplessly in the breeze.
And while the rest of his teammates whose job was to bat on and accumulate vital runs have faltered consistently, think of Roston Chase, Johnson Charles, Kyle Mayers, strangely even Jason Holder- Nicholas Pooran has batted as if he was operating on a different plane in these World Cup qualifier games.
It’s largely and really speaking, at the back of his captain Shai Hope and his own abilities and not to forget, temperament, that the West Indies were able to make a contest out of some games.
Even in the loss incurred to Zimbabwe, a really tricky contest, with the hosts attacking and blowing all kinds of smiles, Nicholas Pooran wasn’t too adrift from runs; he had made a useful, if not match winning, 34.
And when the rest were accumulating one dot ball after another, Pooran’s vital cameo came at a strike rate of 94.
Though in reality, it’ll always come to haunt him whether the leg before decision handed to him was a touch too extreme, especially given there was no DRS made available.
But overall, the Nicholas Pooran we saw in the World Cup qualifier games wasn’t quite like the Pooran we’ve come to see usually; the one who excels immediately upon arrival, ups the scoring rate and then throws away a good start.
Prior to the Zimbabwe-bound World Cup qualifiers, Nicholas Pooran had struck two identical scores off 39 that came off 41 deliveries against South Africa.
In each of these games, he hit fierce strokes, timed the ball well but then just allowed the bowlers to sneak out an easy victory in the end without them having to struggle that much.
Isn’t cricket about batsmen desiring to put a big prize on their wicket?
But finally there arrived change when the West Indies most wanted it.
In these extremely vital games that did eventually decide the imminent future of a team troubled like few around, Pooran batted and batted and soldiered on.
He was in his elements. He was attacking and yet, engaged in risk free cricket. His brand of cricket didn’t change all that much; the dancing down the track to spinners and the carving of the medium pacers towards square and cover region featured a sense of caution that was perhaps missing or lacking earlier.
There was a sense of self belief that was further emboldened by a streak of mental toughness.
Maybe, it’s just the kind of quality that the West Indians would want others in the side- especially, Brooks, Chase, Mayers and Charles to possess.
What could’ve been a better instance of much needed refinement at Pooran’s end other than him notching up that valuable century, then just the second of his career, which ultimately came in a winning cause?
Against Nepal, Pooran crafted a brilliant 115 that came off merely 94 deliveries.
However, that knock was a massively improved one given in the previous game, Pooran had stroked a wonderful 43 that came off just 28 delveries. But with Windies batting first and the southpaw having shunned another big opportunity to put a longer whip on the bowlers (USA), you did feel that the big learning wasn’t coming.
Just that in the very next game it did.
The ton against Nepal was actually a coming of age effort on the part of the Trinidadian; he had repaired an inning that was going nowhere, focused, brought out a restraint in big shot making and ultimately, made the most of the chances that came his way.
His captain Shai Hope couldn’t have been more delighted.
Although, Pooran was only going to get better. With a fantastic unbeaten 104 off just 65 deliveries, Nicholas Pooran aligned concentration and attack in the most captivating way.
However, his team couldn’t get out of harm’s way or should we say, out of the way of Logan van Beek who had different thoughts in his mind during that harrowing outing?
But Pooran was his own man; passionate and focused. He would try more.
The only real game where, it could be argued, that he faltered was his 21-run-outing against Scotland. But even in that game, Pooran wasn’t going all bang-bang.
He had stayed at the wicket that wasn’t all too easy to bat for 7.1 overs.
Others, Charles, Mayers and Hope included perished much earlier.
But you cannot possibly appreciate just how far has Pooran demonstrated improvement without considering the overall time he’s spent at the middle during this series.
While everyone, especially rancid critics, will remember for long the margins of defeat the West Indies plunged to whether against Zimbabwe or Scotland, one of the most vital stat of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers is that Nicholas Pooran has faced 280 deliveries out in the middle.
And that’s considering his unbeaten 19 that came against Oman most recently.
Going forward, the Pooran West Indies really need is the one who’s played like how cricket is supposed to be played and as demonstrated ably in these last four to five one day outings.
Sure, he can’t control how his teammates bowl but after applying himself more cautiously, as seen this time around, he can always give his mates something to bowl at; something worthy, something that’s quite defendable.
What he needs to do now, however, is to play one more vital knock against the Sri Lankans on July 7.
Interestingly, they’re the very side against whom the dashing left hander who hails from the land of Lara notched up his maiden one day ton.
Time to ton up again, Nicky P.
Your team needs you. And not just for what’s left ahead; but in the long term future and just the way you’ve been playing!