New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) West Indies dynamic batter Nicholas Pooran, who has announced his retirement from international cricket, has been named the MI New York captain ahead of the 2025 season of the Major League Cricket.

This left-handed wicket-keeper batter is one of the world’s most feared batters going around. He was the highest run-scorer in the 2023 MLC season with 388 runs under his belt. He scored an unbeaten 137 in the title-winning 2023 MLC final.

“Our hero, our ledge, our skipper! Nicholas Pooran – the 29-year-old pocket dynamite, aka the MINY superstar – has been named the MI New York captain ahead of the 2025 season of the Cognizant Major League Cricket,” the franchise said in a statement.

Pooran took over from fellow West Indian Kieron Pollard, who had led the team last season.

MI New York will be playing their first game of MLC 2025 on June 13 at the Oakland Coliseum, in a red-hot clash against the Texas Super Kings.

The Trinidadian, who represented the West Indies 167 times, has announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday, calling time on his nine-year career with 1983 ODI runs.

Pooran, who has never played Test matches for West Indies, leaves the game as the most capped West Indian in T20 Internationals with 106 matches and the leading T20I run-scorer with 2,275 runs. He last played for the West Indies in December 2024.

He was named vice-captain for the Caribbean side for the 2021 Men’s T20 World Cup, and took the captaincy reins in both white-ball formats across a six-month period in 2022, which included the team’s Men’s T20 World Cup campaign.

Pooran has been in a red hot form in the recently concluded IPL 2025. Playing for Lucknow Super Giants he scored 524 run at an average of 43.66.

–IANS

bc/