West Indies batsman Nicholas Pooran will be given a chance to show off his Test cricket credentials in upcoming First-Class matches during the tour of New Zealand.
Recently, calls have grown louder for the 25-year-old batsman to be included in the team for the game’s longest format. Pooran has put together a string of impressive performances in both the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and Indian Premier League (IPL) convincing some, including legendary West Indian batsman Viv Richards, that some of that success can be translated to the four-day format.
The batsman was not picked on the Test squad for next month’s tour but was named as part of the team’s T20 squad. Despite that, Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief of selectors Roger Harper recently revealed that the matter was being given some serious thought.
“There was a lot of consideration given to Nicholas Pooran; we are still looking at it and I am sure as we move forward, Pooran will have an opportunity as well,” Harper said.
The pair of First-Class matches are expected to take place at the same time as the Test match. The first Test is scheduled for Hamilton, between December 3-7, with the second booked for Wellington from December 11-15. Harper indicated that the team will consist of some of the T20 players and Test reserves.
So far, Pooran has only played three First-Class matches and he has a top score of 55. In One Day Internationals (ODIs) he is considered as one of the most talented young batsmen. In 25 matches Pooran has scored 932 runs at an average of 49 with one century and seven fifties. In T20 cricket, he has 14 fifties and one hundred in 146 global matches. (Sportsmax)
