Ravichandran Ashwin expressed his shock after seeing Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine not playing for the West Indies in the impending T20 World Cup. Pooran retired from international cricket last year. On the other hand, Narine retired from international cricket in 2023.

While they have not represented the West Indies since their retirements, they both continue to feature in franchise leagues around the world. Ashwin feels that Cricket West Indies (CWI) members should have held a discussion with Narine and Pooran ahead of the T20 World Cup and convinced them to play the 20-team event.

“I am very, very disappointed that West Indies cricket has not been able to bring Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine to this World Cup. You have world-beating T20 cricketers. Somehow, you need to sit across the table, talk to them, and bring them to the World Cup. How can you leave Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine from your country and go into a World Cup without them?" Ashwin asked on his YouTube channel.

" I am a big fan of West Indies cricket. They have a lot of ability. But the way they plan, the way they practise, and sometimes even the infrastructure in the West Indies leaves me with my mouth open. With that kind of infrastructure, how do you practise and then go around the world competing? So in many ways, I think West Indies cricket has a high ceiling and high potential, but they really need to re-look at the way they approach and plan for World Cups," he added.

Ashwin said that the West Indies are not serious contenders, but called them a dark horse for the T20 World Cup. He added tha t the Caribbean side may not reach the semi-final.

"They are not serious contenders. I would call them a dark horse. And I think the West Indies are a dark horse because they have those players, the power hitters, who can make a difference for the team. That is why I put them in the dark horse category, because they have a lot of power in their batting, a lot of strength.”

“By chance, if their bowling comes good, Akeal Hosein bowls well, if Motie bowls well, Roston Chase, and one of their fast bowlers finds form, anything can happen. So if these players come into form, then they could be a real threat. But I do not think they have a chance of getting into the top four. Still, only time will tell,” he added.

West Indies have the joint-most number of T20 World Cup titles (2). England and India are the two other teams with two titles apiece.

The Shai Hope-led side is placed in Group C, alongside Scotland, England, Nepal, and Italy. The West Indies lost their solitary warm-up match against Afghanistan by 23 runs on Wednesday, February 4. They will begin their campaign in the global extravaganza on Saturday, February 7, in match No. 2 of the competition at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.