COUVA, Trinidad, CMC- Promising teenager Nicholas Pooran slammed a century on Sunday to bolster his chance of selection for Trinidad and Tobago’s four-day squad after he was left out of the Super50 line-up.
Pooran, a wicketkeeper/batsman, was unbeaten on 130 in the first innings on the final day of a three-day trial match at the National Cricket Centre in Couva.
He smashed 11 fours and four sixes and faced a total of 125 balls during his two and a half hours in the middle and shared a 154-run stand with Rayad Emrit to put the Ottley XI in the lead.
Emrit scored 72.
Pooran’s three figure score helped lift Yannick Ottley’s XI to 459 against Jason Mohammed’s XI.
Mohammed’s X1 had scored 276 and 159-6.
“I thought he batted extremely well. It was one of the better innings I have seen from the player and when you look at it, yes it was more than a run a ball,” said Coach Kevin Williams, referring to Pooran’s innings.
“At the same time he took his time to build the innings and he played within his limitations. I think it shows the kind of talent that the young man has and what he is capable of and I think he will move from strength to strength.”
Pooran created a buzz with his big hitting in last year’s
Limacol Caribbean Premier League Twenty20, slamming 54 off 24 balls against the Guyana Amazon Warriors.