Star-studded West Indies confident ahead of SA T20Is – Pooran

After suffering a 2-0 loss in the Test matches, the Kieron Pollard-led West Indies T20 team will shift focus to battle the South Africans in Grenada.
West Indies vice-captain Nicholas Pooran has said the team’s confidence is very good heading into the five-match T20 series against South Africa, starting on June 26.
“We have (Andre) Russell returning, we have the most exciting T20 players in the world back together in the one team, and the confidence is good,” Pooran said in a virtual press conference on Thursday.
When asked about his poor Indian Premier League (IPL) form and how eager he is to shake off that rust, Pooran said: “I did not get the scores I wanted, but things like this happen. It’s life, we all have our downtime, I will keep it simple, backing my ability and enjoy my game,” Pooran said.

While placing emphasis on making West Indian fans proud, Pooran said he would be looking to grab this opportunity, and not dwell on the past.

“I am a player full of confidence”
“We have the best T20 players in the world, and once we can play our roles and do the right things, we can put some good scores on the board,” Pooran told media operatives.
With the 2021 International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup looming, Pooran said, these T20 matches would be important for the team to gather momentum.
The left-hander has said this provisional squad is the best 18-man squad, and they will be looking to get full support of the fans.
“We are building towards the World Cup, and we have to believe with each other,” he said.
Speaking on his leadership role as the West Indies vice-captain, Pooran said he is thankful for this opportunity to have leadership influence among the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and company. The vice-captain said the West Indies unit will be looking to rotate the strike, and not occupy a lot of dot balls.
“We have been working on this in the nets, and hopefully we can improve in this series. A room is not built in a day,” Pooran explained.

From a bowling perspective, Pooran said the bowlers would be aiming to strengthen the death bowling and cut down on the no-balls. The gifted Trinidadian has said that as the wicket-keeper, he would always bring the energy behind the stumps, and voice his concerns.
“From my point of view, it is tough, but it is basically me reiterating everything,” Pooran said. The West Indies have had difficulties with wrist-spin, and Pooran noted that the team would look to improve on this aspect, and not focus on the negatives.
He said the bubble life took a toll on him, and he got some good time at home, where he also got married.
Interestingly, Pooran said he has a greater appreciation for One-Day cricket rather than T20 cricket, where he noted that he is required to be super aggressive.
West Indies Provisional Squad for T20Is vs South Africa, Australia and Pakistan: Kieron Pollard(c), Nicholas Pooran(w/vc), Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Andre Fletcher(wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo, Fabian Allen, Fidel Edwards, Obed McCoy, Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell, Kevin Sinclair, Hayden Walsh Jr., Akeal Hosein.