Want to use hurt of T20 World Cup exit as motivation: Nicholas Pooran

Following their first round exit at the T20 World Cup 2022, West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran admits that his team are hurt and vows to use that and comeback stronger. The two-time champions lost to Scotland and then to Ireland and as a result have failed to make it to the Super 12s for the first time.

"Obviously, we don't know what the future holds but we will take it day by day," Pooran said on the sidelines of the Super50 Cup, West Indies' regional one-day tournament.

"Again, it was a learning experience for all of us and this is our journey and our story. Time will tell what will happen but for now it is just about focusing on ourselves and how we can get better as individuals.

"Rest is the ultimate [way to heal] and every player needs that but inside it is still hurting as well. I want to use that hurt as motivation and obviously come back strong."

Pooran's men received sharp criticism following their exit with the board's president Ricky Skerritt blaming the batters and also promised to conduct a thorough postmortem. Ricky Ponting called it a disgrace and also their head coach Phil Simmons resigned from his post with the two-match Test series against Australia next month set to be his last.

Pooran does not feel the need to step down as skipper but see it as an opportunity to learn from their shortcomings. "I have been thinking about the last couple of months...Playing cricket is my dream and obviously I have had my test in life as well and this is another test for me," he said. "I am a person that embraces challenges and this was just another one for me," the West Indies skipper said.

"It is not going to stop me. I am going to continue to learn from my experiences and again I am happy I can wake up in the morning and see that I have an opportunity to play cricket again."

Pooran's immediate task is to lead Trinidad & Tobado in the Super50 Cup, which is scheduled to begin on October 31. As far his international duties go, West Indies are not scheduled to play a white-ball fixture till their tour of South Africa in March next year after T20I tour of Pakistan in January was pushed back to 2024.

Amidst all this, Johnny Grave, CWI's chief executive too has assured that he will not quit from his post. His contract runs till June 2023. "I'm not in control of that. My contract runs out June 2023. But am I a quitter? Am I going to resign? No, I'm not," Grave said on the Mason and Guest radio show.

Grave believes West Indies' inability to execute their plans cost them, much like the way they started off last year's campaign, when they were bowled out for just 55 against England in Dubai.

"For whatever reason we did not execute under the pressure in Hobart," Grave said. 

"Now, was there too much pressure placed on the team? Why did the players not execute those skills?

"Why did they effectively, as we did in 2021, get off to the worst possible start? We all know that in tournament sports, the teams that start well try and keep that momentum through the event. And in 2021, we started horribly - not just losing to England, but losing in such a manner that your net run rate is never going to recover.

"And unfortunately, in that opening game [this time], we had exactly the same happen again. Yes, we were able to recover and beat Zimbabwe, albeit probably not as convincingly as any of our fans or us would want. And then ultimately, against Ireland, too, we know from playing them in January, they are an ICC Full Member, they are not a walk in the park for any team now. But we had to find a way to win and get over the line. 

"And we didn't. And that's why we need this review. That's why we need honest soul searching because we have got to come up with the answers."