The West Indies will be locking horns with the Netherlands in the first One Day International at the VRA Cricket Ground, Amstelveen on May 31.
Wicketkeeper-batter Nicholas Pooran will be leading the West Indies having succeeded the Fomer west indies all rounder Kieron Pollard who announced his international retirement last month.
The Netherlands have never won an ODI game against West Indies to date. They will be looking to get their first victory against the visitors and utilize the home condition in the best way possible.
On the other hand West indies they come With the T20 Series victory against England Two months ago. they will be expected to put out their best and continue the good form. Pooran’s first stint as a captain will be looked upon in anticipation.
Pooran, 26, has previously captained West Indies in two ODIs and eight T20Is and Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL, and was confirmed as Kieron Pollard’s successor earlier this month after serving as his deputy in recent years.
“I’ll try my best to lead from the front,” Pooran said at a virtual press conference on Friday.
“I want to talk the talk and walk the walk.
“I’m very instinctive. On the field, I like to make decisions on how I feel. My team-mates know I’m very instinctive when I’m batting as well. As a captain, I want to approach it in the same way.
“[I want to] live in the present, try to be the best version of myself, try to be the best leader I can be. It’s as simple as that.”
Pooran said that the tours would ensure younger players are given opportunities but downplayed the idea that playing the Netherlands – who have only one of their county-contracted players available this week – represented an ideal introduction to the full-time role.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a right time, We want to win games, it doesn’t matter who the opposition is. We’re not looking at it like that. The time is now and that’s all we need to focus on.” he said.
“Everyone deserves an opportunity at some point in their career and it’s really good that the younger players are getting an opportunity now. It’s a good opportunity for them to showcase their talent and try to grab a spot in the team.
“It has been good. I think a lot of guys are happy in terms of it being free here and Amsterdam is a beautiful place. We’re looking forward to the opportunity to play some cricket and feed off each other.”
“I believe that we have a lot of talented players with us here but we need to really work hard and come up with the goods,” he further added.
The series is part of the ongoing ICC ODI Super League that serves to help teams qualify directly to next year’s 50-over World Cup in India. West Indies are currently 10th in the 13-team pool. The top seven and hosts India qualify directly, while two remaining spots will be decided through the Qualifiers.
Probable Playing XIs for NED vs WI
Predicted Playing XI For Netherlands: Pieter Seelaar (c), Bas de Leede, Max O Dowd, Fred Klassen, Scott Edwards (wk), Tony Staal, Shariz Ahmed, Logan Van Beek, Vivian Knigma, Phillippe Boissevain, Teja Nidamanuru
Predicted Playing XI for West Indies: Brandon King, Shai Hope, Shamarh Brooks, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hossain, Hayden Walsh