"I'm Not Surprised" - Daren Sammy On Nicholas Pooran's Early Retirement

Earlier this week, West Indies’ superstar batter Nicholas Pooran shocked everyone by announcing his retirement from international cricket at the age of 29. WI’s white-ball coach Daren Sammy said he can’t control anyone’s decision of when he wants to retire from the game, and feels there will be more players will follow suit.

"My instincts told me something like that would happen. Nicholas sent me a text message, and I had a conversation with his agent as well. When we first spoke about the UK tour and the conversation I had with him, I did ask him, 'Are you unavailable for the UK tour only, or indefinite?' And from that response, I just knew I had to start preparing for the worst case,” said Sammy after WI were whitewashed in the ODI and T20I series against England.

"Ideally, a talent like that, I would love to have him in the team. But I don't control anybody's careers… I wished him well, he wished the team well. It is (about) trying to move on now from planning a game plan without Nicholas Pooran. With a World Cup coming ahead, I respect the fact that he told us early enough so we have more time to plan without him.

"Surprised? No, I'm not surprised. I said something to the guys in the team meeting today: we don't have control. It's up to each individual. I made my debut in 2004 right at this ground, and I see here today in the stands the same people from 2004 - 21 years ago - the same fans: loyal, coming, bringing food, and everything they've been doing that way before I started, for Sir Viv [Richards] and these guys.

"The passion they have travelling from London, all over, coming to watch us playing - not because we are great, (but) because of the love they have for the game and for West Indies cricket; what it meant to them when West Indies came here back in the 80s with Sir Viv and Clive (Lloyd), and they won games; the feeling it gave them during that era, walking down the streets, going to work the following day.

"It is up to us, each individual, to understand what the brand and the crest mean, and come out and play a brand that those people come and travel three hours to watch you play because of what the crest means to them. It is up to each player to go out and put in that type of passion out there. I could only speak about it, but I can't force anybody to do it, just like I can't tell anybody when to call time on their career."

South African wicketkeeper-batters Heinrich Klaasen and Quinton de Kock are two other batters who recently retired from international cricket in their early 30s. "I'm pretty sure more will follow in that mood, in that direction. That's the way T20 cricket is now, and especially coming from the West Indies, with the challenges that we face trying to keep our players motivated to play for the crest, so I wouldn't be surprised. You saw everybody talk about Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, these guys who've retired. It's out of our control."