The announcement on Monday came as a shock, and yet upon reflection it’s not at all surprising. Pooran’s early international retirement is the kind of bitter blow that many financially weaker cricket boards are regularly going to have to come to a grip with as talented players seek out the most lucrative living possible in a 10-20 year window.
Three other experienced faces have also decided that the final leg of their tour in Northern Ireland is not worth their time: Andre Russell, Brandon King and Roston Chase all went home after the third T20I in Southampton, the latter to get ready for an imminent visit from Australia’s Test squad.
Ireland have their own three-ODI jostle with England to come in September, but the immediate focus is to demonstrate what they have learned from the three ODIs against the Windies last month (D 1-1) and play better cricket.
Why Ireland can win
The 20-over format can often be a great leveller and the format where anyone can win or lose on any given day.
Just ask Ireland who fell to Canada during a disastrous T20 World Cup last year three months before they convincingly defeated runners-up South Africa in Abu Dhabi courtesy of a 137-run opening stand from Ross Adair and Paul Stirling.
Those two will have a lot on their shoulders as will their top order colleagues as the Irish have lost a bit of all-rounder power through the withdrawals of both Curtis Campher and Gareth Delany, whilst the out-of-form Josh Little needs to bounce back quickly to assist an inexperienced bowling attack that is missing 35-year-old Craig Young.
They had a cracking start to the ODI series against the West Indies when it all came together with bat and ball, though their centurion (Andy Balbirnie) from that win is no longer in the T20I picture.
Ireland know they can defeat the Windies, so the belief should be there. The pitches in Bready could be slower than the ones Clontarf CC produced for the ODIs, which could also assist the home side in reducing the tourists’ boundary count.
Why West Indies can win
After the shock of comprehensively losing the first ODI to Ireland in Dublin, the West Indies pretty quickly adjusted to conditions there to record two large first innings totals and were certainly in a position to win the abandoned second game.
They’ll certainly appreciate the step down in class after a difficult England series where they were competitive in all three matches albeit never in control, with their scores improving in all three games just as they did in the ODIs against Ireland.
If they can carry that batting form immediately through to this match there should be no such repeat of the slow start from last month.
Whilst there was nothing at all to gloat about as far as the bowling was concerned in the T20Is against England, they can at least be encouraged by their best scorers of that series sticking on for this one, including former captain Rovman Powell (126 runs) and current one Shai Hope (97 runs).
Venue and conditions
Teams that bat first in Bready have a 6-4 record, but there have been a wide range of results from Zimbabwe chasing 172 in 2019 to the same team defending 124 in 2021.
The average T20I run rate there is just 8.03rpo, suggesting that 160 could be a par score for the team batting first.
All three matches could be affected by rain with a medium chance of at least one shower on all three days.
Match stats
• Each of Ireland’s last nine opening partnerships at home were worth under 30 runs
• Only three of the 18 opening partnerships between Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis cleared 30+ runs
• Yet to face them in T20Is, Shai Hope averages nearly 100 (295/3) against Adair, Little, Barry McCarthy and Dockrell in ODIs, whilst Evin Lewis averages 85 against them in both formats
• Harry Tector averages 131 in ODIs and T20Is against Alzarri, Forde, Shepherd, Holder, Hosein and Motie
• Alzarri Joseph has bowled 7.5 overs to Lorcan Tucker in internationals for figures of 4-36