Pooran promises instinctive leadership

The West Indies will officially start their white-ball era with new captain Nicholas Pooran at the helm, and the left-handed wicketkeeper batsman is already talking up a game that will be different from his predecessor Kieron Pollard.

Pooran, who has led the West Indies in two one-day internationals (ODI) and eight Twenty20 Internationals before this series, is hoping that his approach, which he describes as instinctive, to the captaincy will bring him success, as they take on the Netherlands in the three-match ODI series which began in Amsterdam today.

The Trinidadian, who will be guiding an inexperienced team, says he will be leading from the front and not just talking the talk, but plans to walk the walk.

"I want to try to make the best decisions for the team as I am very instinctive and a lot of my decisions you guys may not like, but, hopefully, it will be the right decisions for the team. I'll try my best to lead from the front. I want to talk the talk and walk the walk," he said.

Pooran guarding against complacency despite the Netherlands losing their recent ODI series 3-0 to New Zealand.

"They have good players with good skills and we are looking forward to the contest," he said. "Hopefully, we can do the right things and stay in the present and get some victories."

With Pollard retiring and players such as Jason Holder and Odean Smith being rested, Pooran will hope that the young players on tour, such as Keacy Carty, Shermon Lewis, and Anderson Phillip will give a good account of themselves.

"Everyone deserves an opportunity at some point in their career and it's really good that the younger players are getting an opportunity now," Pooran said. "It's a good opportunity for them to showcase their talent and try to grab a spot in the team."