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.

2. Amir Jangoo

Amir Jangoo is also a left-handed wicketkeeper-batter like Nicholas Pooran. The southpaw was recently part of the West Indies side, which was whitewashed by England. Jangoo has played one Test and five ODIs so far. He scored a brilliant century in his ODI debut against Bangladesh in St Kitts in December 2024. His unbeaten 104 off 83 balls helped the Caribbean side chase down a 322-run target with ease.

Jangoo was the highest run-getter in the Super50 Cup 2024-25, the West Indies’ premier domestic 50-over tournament. He scored 446 runs in seven innings at an average of 89.20 and a strike rate of 86.77. Jangoo can become a reliable wicketkeeper-batter, at least in white-ball cricket for the Windies.

1. Sherfane Rutherford

Sherfane Rutherford has been around the West Indies cricket circuit for quite some time. However, he is still just 26 years old. He made his international debut in December 2018 at the age of 20. Rutherford has played 13 ODIs and 30 T20Is for the West Indies. He has scored 567 runs and 436 runs in the two formats, respectively. The West Indian likes to put the bowlers to the sword with his ability to hit boundaries all around the park. In ODIs, he is averaging a staggering 70.88 at a strike rate of 109.68.

Meanwhile, in the shortest format, he has an average of 22.95 and a strike rate of 140.20. Rutherford also had a fabulous Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign for the Gujarat Titans. The management showed a lot of trust in his abilities as they benched Glenn Phillips to give him opportunities to play. In 13 matches, he scored 291 runs at an average of 32.33 and a strike rate of 157.30. The left-handed batter can also bowl at a decent medium pace, making him a versatile cricketer.

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