HHis path to where he is today was set the moment he first picked up a cricket bat, as evidenced by his blistering smash against Afghanistan in this year’s T20 World Cup. “I always had one dream – to become a professional cricketer,” says Nicholas Pooran (who turns 29 in October). “I knew I was going to play cricket. Eating cricket, dreaming of cricket, running away from home to play cricket – that was all I had in my mind,” he recalls with a chuckle.
Talented People
Pooran’s talent was so clear that the selectors quickly included him in the Trinidad and Tobago senior team at the age of 16, and then for the regional team soon after. He then smashed a boundary-filled 143 runs against Australia in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. Despite his relatively little match experience, Pooran was suddenly the talk of youth cricket around the world. The world was at his feet.
accident
Pooran’s resolutely positive outlook on life came at a turning point, a time when he realised his lifelong cricketing dreams (and more) could be snatched away in an instant.
In early 2015, while driving home after a training session, another car hit him. Hard. “I woke up after the accident with casts on both my legs. The first thing I asked was, ‘Can I play cricket again?'” Pooran recalls. “The doctor said that was a difficult question. So I asked if I could run again and he said probably, but I wouldn’t be able to bend my left leg fully. At that moment, my blood pressure rose.”
With his career in jeopardy and wheelchair-bound for six months, he found certainty: “My girlfriend, now wife, Alyssa, and her sisters-in-law taught me some things about faith. Little by little I prayed, little by little I believed, and I prayed for the strength to get through each day. When I returned to the hospital, everyone was amazed that I could bend my legs.”
“I woke up after the accident with both my legs in casts and the first thing I asked was, ‘Will I ever be able to play cricket again?'”
comeback
He took an unconventional path back to the top, deciding to forgo the Caribbean four-day tournament and play in the Bangladesh Premier League instead, and was wise to avail himself of the option of franchise-based T20 cricket to position himself in a bigger shop window.
“I got to play with experienced cricketers, learn different cultures and play in different conditions. It helped me a lot. I didn’t know how long my legs would last or how long I would last. It could have gone either way but I believe everything happens for a reason and I just hope it happens for the right reasons,” Pooran said.
Queens Park Cricket Club also formed part of his support network: “They really welcomed me in after the accident,” he says.[Kieron] Pollard is like a big brother and a mentor to me. [Narine], [Dwayne] Bravo, [Darren] Bravo, [Kevon] Cooper played his part.
“When I’m batting, when I’m fielding, I have people I can talk to. They’ve all made decisions that I still make. They want me to do well and there’s not a day that goes by that they haven’t been there for me when I ask them for something. I’m always the one who asks a lot of questions!”
West Indies
Pooran’s One-Day International (ODI) debut did not come until February 2019, in time for that year’s World Cup. Concerns that the volume of T20 cricket would hinder his adaptation and performance in 50-over matches were quickly allayed.
A more mature batsman has emerged throughout cricket’s biggest tournament, culminating with a hundred against Sri Lanka. “I challenged myself to get better every game. If I don’t do well in one game, that’s fine. I have a process and I work on it.”
By 2021, he was made vice-captain of the Windies T20 team and helped them to a 4-1 series win against Australia. A year later, he was naturally made captain, but the pressure took its toll. The team’s lackluster performance in the 2022 T20 World Cup led Pooran to step down to focus on batting.
Rather than chastise those who criticise his team or his performance, Pooran takes a refreshingly logical approach. “The fans’ job in the stands is to criticise but if you’re doing well, they’re on your side. I know what my job is in the stands. It’s just unfortunate that your job is on TV! I think we have the best fans in the world,” he says.
But it wasn’t always that zen-like for him, as one less memorable incident in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) shows. “I was 18, playing for the Red Steel and playing for Sunil [Narine] … I can’t stop talking about it at the moment! It’s hard because the audience is so passionate.”
When we talk about the CPL, the inevitable question arises: when will Pooran win the tournament? He has played in two finals with two different teams. He is also yet to win the Indian Premier League, which had a clean-hitting and brilliant 2020 season.
But he doesn’t seem to feel any pressure. “As long as you set standards for yourself and stick to them, you’ll be fine. Prepare and execute, and you’ll be fine.”
Pooran is calm and ready to go as Trinidad Knight Riders look to bank on his explosive batting to win their fifth CPL title in 2024.
“I consider myself one of the best white-ball players of this generation and to achieve that you have to work hard and grab the opportunities that come your way,” Pooran says. That may sound egotistical, but it’s what a batsman needs. But given Pooran’s mindset, it’s also realistic, imbued with the words “you never know when your last chance might be” that always drives him forward.
