At just 29 years of age, Nicholas Pooran retires from International Cricket, with a scintillating T20I career behind him

In a shocking twist that caught the cricketing community off guard, West Indies' former white-ball captain and star batter, Nicholas Pooran, announced that he is retiring from International cricket at age 29. When Pooran hangs up his international boots, he will depart the global stage as West Indies' all-time T20I runs scored and T20I player.

On Monday, Pooran astonished everyone when he announced his retirement through his social media, expressing his sincere appreciation to everyone who was involved with the journey in representing a Caribbean nation. "Wearing that maroon, standing behind the anthem and giving my everything every time I stepped on that field... It's hard for me to put into words what that has meant to me," he wrote.

Those in cricketing circles were shocked by his announcement especially because he had stated just recently that he wanted to play 100 more T20Is after he played his 100th T20I for West Indies in November 2024. Pooran had turned down selection for the latest T20I against England and did not play in a One Day International since West Indies was eliminated in their quest for qualification to the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Pooran made his T20I debut in 2016 against Pakistan in the UAE before playing his first ODI three years later. He became West Indies' white-ball captain in 2022, and at the end of the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, he relinquished that position as it had not gone well for the team.

Notably, 2024 may have possibly been Pooran's most productive year though. He struck a record 170 sixes across formats, and a good IPL 2025 season scoring 524 runs at 196.25 strike rate, including five fifties.

Overall, Pooran played 167 international matches, scoring 1983 runs in 61 ODIs at an average of 39.66 and a strike rate of 99.15 and 2275 runs in 106 T20Is at an average of 26.14 and strike rate of 136.39.

Cricket West Indies also praised Pooran's achievements, highlighting: "We honour his accomplishments and thank him for the moments he has given to millions of fans across the region and beyond."

Pooran may have played his last game for West Indies, but he will continue to play around the world in franchise cricket, including the MLC, The Hundred, ILT20, CPL and IPL. Pooran's leaving of international cricket ends an era, but it also marks a new chapter in his cricketing career.