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Business Standard
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Business Standard
Former WI skipper Pooran announces retirement from international cricket
In a development that has taken the cricketing world by surprise, star West Indies batter and former white-ball captain Nicholas Pooran announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 29. The Trinidad-born southpaw, who made his debut in 2016, revealed the news via social media, stating that the decision followed 'much thought and reflection'. Pooran, who recently opted out of the West Indies' T20I series against England, offered no specific reason for his decision but expressed immense gratitude for the opportunity to represent the Caribbean. His departure ends a career that saw him become the most capped West Indies T20I player and their leading run-scorer in the format. A decorated white-ball career Pooran leaves behind a legacy built on explosive batting and consistent performances. He played 106 T20 Internationals, amassing 2,275 runs at a strike rate of 136.39. In the ODI format, he featured in 61 matches, scoring 1,983 runs at a healthy average of 39.66. Cricket West Indies described him as a 'game changer' and 'a world-class player', acknowledging the void his retirement will create in the national setup. Leadership and legacy Pooran also served as the West Indies' white-ball captain and reflected on the privilege of leading his team. In his farewell note, he said wearing the maroon and hearing the national anthem were experiences he would cherish forever. Though he won't play for West Indies again, he insisted his love for Caribbean cricket remains 'unshaken'. Focus shifts to franchise cricket Meanwhile, Pooran will continue to play franchise cricket all around the globe. Following a record-breaking 2024, when he hit 170 sixes in a calendar year, he ended IPL 2025 with 524 runs at a staggering strike rate of 196.25. With stints lined up in Major League Cricket, The Hundred, and the ILT20, the flamboyant batter's journey is far from over — just now beyond the international stage.
India.com
10-06-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Too Young to Quit? Nicholas Pooran Stuns Cricket World With Retirement From All Formats Of International Cricket At 29
In a major surprise for cricket fans, West Indies star Nicholas Pooran has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of just 29. One of the finest T20 batters of his generation, Pooran made the announcement on Monday night via a heartfelt Instagram post. Pooran Follows Klaasen in Stepping Away Pooran's decision comes shortly after South African wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen also retired from international cricket. Both players are known for their explosive batting in the T20 format, and their exit raises questions about the future of international cricket amid the rise of franchise leagues. Focus Now on Franchise Cricket Pooran has made it clear that while he is done with international cricket, he will continue to play in franchise leagues across the globe. This move follows a growing trend where many players are retiring early from national duty to pursue more freedom and opportunities in leagues like the IPL, CPL, and others. Pooran's International Career The Trinidad-born cricketer retires as West Indies' most capped player in T20 Internationals, having played 106 matches. He is also the leading run-scorer for the West Indies in T20Is, with 2,275 runs to his name. Pooran had also captained the West Indies and was once seen as the future face of West Indies cricket. He carried the expectations of fans and experts alike, and his leadership was considered a vital part of the team's rebuild. Pooran's Emotional Goodbye In his retirement post, Pooran expressed deep gratitude for the support he received throughout his career. 'Wearing that maroon, standing for the anthem, and giving everything I had each time I stepped on the field... it's hard to put into words what that truly means to me,' he wrote. He thanked his fans, teammates, friends, and family, calling his international journey 'a privilege' and promising continued support for West Indies cricket from afar. Pooran's early retirement highlights the growing issue of players prioritizing franchise cricket over international commitments. For many, the financial rewards, reduced pressure, and greater flexibility offered by league cricket are too attractive to ignore. While some fans respected Pooran's decision and thanked him for his service, others were left heartbroken, especially as the team prepares for future tournaments. Losing a player of his talent and experience at just 29 is a big blow to West Indies cricket.
Time Out
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Fish, Wings & Tings
If this Brixton Village institution feels decidedly old-school, that's because it is. Many punters might not know that the yellow-fronted Caribbean joint actually has roots in '80s America, as Trinidad-born owner Brian Danclair worked in a Washington, D.C restaurant of the same name back in the day. The original is long gone, but Danclair's move to the UK in 2012 led him to open a London version – with a similar shop front – in one of the city's greatest food hubs. Think communal outdoor tables and no-nonsense Caribbean fare from jerk chicken and fried plantain to their patented reggae wings (chicken doused in fiery tamarind sauce and served with a stack of cooling pineapple). Naturally, the reggae-heavy restaurant soundtrack is second-to-none and you can't beat Fish, Wings & Tings for atmosphere. Order this What's nearby?
The Guardian
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
We Were There by Lanre Bakare review – the forgotten voices of black Britain
'It's so hard to create something when there has been nothing before,' the Trinidad-born Nobel laureate VS Naipaul once complained to me, referring to his work for the BBC World Service programme Caribbean Voices (1943-58). That sentiment, that each generation of black Britons believes themselves to be bold pioneers working in a vacuum, has persisted since the beginning of mass migration to this country. But what if the contributions of black Britons were not carelessly neglected, but rather, as Lanre Bakare identifies in his estimable first book, We Were There, a history that has been more purposely obscured? The roots of the current Black Lives Matter-fuelled renaissance of black artistic practice in Britain were established decades ago in the relatively under-reported past. Bakare focuses on the Thatcher era of the late 1970s and 80s, 'the most restive period in postwar history', when, he argues, modern black Britishness was forged. The Bradford-born author complicates and deepens this story by shifting attention away from London, writing with quiet enthusiasm and sharp intelligence about black communities, including those in Bradford, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff and Edinburgh. He unearths forgotten stories of black participation in cultural movements such as northern soul, whose popularity coincided with the emergence of reggae sound systems in the 1970s. One such story is that of Steve Caesar, a Leeds-based teenage migrant from St Kitts and winner of the inaugural northern soul dance competition at Wigan Casino in 1974. 'Northern soul helped me find a sort of way of belonging,' says Caesar, and yet his story was excluded from the narratives of a movement historically cast as a white working-class phenomenon by music journalists. Building on the work of cultural historians such as Stuart Hall, Bakare champions advances made by social activists. These include grassroots campaigners who in 1979 overturned the miscarriage of justice suffered by Bakare's fellow Bradfordian George Lindo, imprisoned after he was framed by racist police for a robbery he did not commit. The toppling of the statue of the transatlantic enslaver Edward Colston in Bristol in 2020 was a very public reckoning with the city's toxic past. Bakare shows that this direct action had been rehearsed in Liverpool three decades earlier. In 1982, protesters tied a rope to the statue of the former Liverpool MP William Huskisson, who had links to the Atlantic slave trade, and dragged it to the ground. Bakare puts that toppling into the context of the riots in Liverpool 8 (Toxteth) the previous year. The violence was sparked by police brutality, neglect and the kind of prejudicial thinking expressed by Margaret Thatcher in the aftermath of the riots, which she characterised as the unlawfulness of young men 'whose high animal spirits' had 'wreak[ed] havoc' on the city. Bakare ably demonstrates the key disadvantage faced by black people – a lack of information about their predecessors. In my experience, the interventions and successes of our forebears have been cynically obscured, creating the impression that nothing had come before. This discontinuation has often followed short-term initiatives by white cultural gatekeepers who pat themselves on the back for their enlightenment, which only lasts until the novelty wears off and the next worthy group emerges to attract their attention. We Were There acknowledges the true tapestry of British culture by shining a light on committed activists/artists, such as the documentarian Bea Freeman, the producer of They Haven't Done Nothing, a film about the aftermath of the 1981 riots. But the publication of books about the forgotten cultural history of black Britons can only come about if commissioning editors recognise previous blind spots. We Were There bridges the gaps to missing links and admirably achieves what it sets out to provide: further evidence of 'Black people's influence on the UK'. If these stories are only shown in isolation, 'they can be dismissed as curiosities', writes Bakare, 'that don't alter our sense of what constitutes British culture'. We Were There: How Black Culture, Resistance and Community Shaped Modern Britain by Lanre Bakare is published by Bodley Head (£22). To support the Guardian and Observer order your copy at Delivery charges may apply
