CWC Qualifiers: Nicholas Pooran smokes his second century of tournament
West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran has brought up his third ODI century and second of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023. The left-handed batter demolished the Netherlands bowling line-up in Match 18 and touched the mark off just 63 balls. He scored an unbeaten 65-ball 104 (9 fours, 6 sixes), helping WI post a mammoth 374/6. Here are further details.
Yet another fiery knock from Pooran
WI were well placed at 163/3 when Pooran arrived to bat. He went after the bowlers from the outset as there was a sudden surge in the scoring rate. The dasher joined forces with skipper Shai Hope (47) as the duo added 108 runs for the fourth wicket. Pooran shifted gears even further in the death overs, adding to the agony of USA bowlers.
Third-fastest hundred in WI colors
Meanwhile, Pooran reached his ton off just 63 balls, the third-fastest for a WI batter in ODIs. Only Brian Lara (45 balls) and Chris Gayle (55 balls) are ahead of Pooran in this regard. Overall, this was his third ODI ton as he has raced to 1,929 runs in 58 games at 40.18 (SR: 100.31). The tally also includes 11 fifties besides three tons.
Sensational run in the tournament
As mentioned, this was Pooran's second hundred of the competition. He earlier scored a 94-ball 115 against Nepal a few days back. 34 and 43 read his other two scores in the tournament. Pooran has raced to 296 runs in the qualifying event at 98.67 with his strike rate being 132.74. Only Zimbabwe skipper Sean Williams (390) owns more runs currently.
A look at the innings summary
Netherlands won the toss and opted to bowl. WI were off to a flier as openers Johnson Charles (54) and Brandon King (76) added 101 runs. The baton was later passed onto Pooran and Hope. Notably, Keemo Paul also played a brilliant cameo toward the end, 46* off 25 balls. Bas de Leede and Saqib Zulfiqar took two wickets apiece for Netherlands.
