Nicholas Pooran. (Photo Source: ICC)
Nicholas Pooran has made a name for himself as one of the most dangerous batters going around on the T20 circuit. Pooran recently declared himself a son of franchise cricket and backed it up with a record-breaking 2024 in the shortest format.
While Pooran enjoyed great personal success this year, he also had some team success to speak about. At the very start of the year, Pooran led MI Emirates to the International League T20 title in the UAE and also got an opportunity to lead at the IPL as well.
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Check out the major stats highlights from Pooran’s record-breaking year –
1 – With 2331 runs from 74 innings, Pooran broke Mohammad Rizwan’s record for the most runs by a batter in a single calendar year in T20s. Pooran is the only batter, other than Rizwan in 2021, to make 2000+ T20 runs in a year.
1 – With 170 sixes, Pooran broke Chris Gayle’s nine-year old record for the most sixes by a batter in a single calendar year in T20s. Pooran also became the first player to hit 150 T20 sixes in a single year.
In T20 cricket, it is customary to expect the openers to do the bulk of the run-scoring, so what makes Pooran’s feat more impressive is the fact that only one of his 74 T20 innings in 2024 came as an opener, while the majority came at No. 3. Here are some stats highlights regarding that –
1 – Pooran became the first batter to amass 2000 T20 runs in a single year while batting as a non-opener. The only other player to score even 1500 runs in a single year as non-opener was AB de Villiers in 2019.
1 – Pooran’s 170 sixes are truly an unprecedented amount for a non-opener. The only non-openers to hit even a hundred T20 sixes in a single year are Andre Russell in 2019 and Heinrich Klaasen this year.
1 – Pooran set another record by making 16 fifty-plus scores in the year. The previous record for the most fifty-plus scores in a single year in T20s by a non-opener was 15 by AB de Villiers in 2019.
While Pooran had a record year overall, he also managed to make records at specific tournaments like the IPL, the T20 World Cup and the CPL. Let’s look at some stat highlights from these tournaments.
1 – At the IPL, Pooran predominantly batted at No. 5 or below, and set the record for the most runs by a batter batting at No. 5 or below in a single IPL season with 476 runs. The previous record was held by Rinku Singh who had made 474 runs batting at No. 5 or below in IPL 2023.
2 – Pooran’s 35 sixes in IPL 2024 are the second highest by a player batting at No. 5 or below in a single IPL season. Andre Russell holds the record with 42 sixes in 2019 while batting at No. 5 or below.
1 – In the T20 World Cup, Pooran broke the record for the most sixes by a batter in a single edition of the tournament. Pooran hit 17 in West Indies’ run to the Super 8s, breaking the record of Chris Gayle who hit 16 sixes in 2016.
1 – During the T20 World Cup, Pooran moved past Chris Gayle to become the highest run-scorer for West Indies in T20Is and also became the first West Indian to make 2000 career runs in the format.
2 – During the CPL, Pooran became the second batter to make 500 runs in a single edition of the Caribbean Premier League after Colin Munro in 2018. He was of course the first non-opener to the mark.
3 – Pooran’s 35 sixes in CPL 2024 were the third highest by a batter in a single edition behind Evin Lewis’ 38 in 2021 and Chris Gayle’s 37 in 2016.
1 – Pooran’s 35 sixes were the most by a non-opener in a single edition of the CPL. In fact, the second best, Shimron Hetmyer’s 32 were also registered in 2024. Chris Lynn’s 27 in 2016 are third in this aspect.
3 – Pooran’s 35 sixes in CPL 2024 helped him move up to No.3 on the all-time CPL sixes list and cross Chris Gayle’s career tally in the tournament. Something his TKR captain Kieron Pollard also managed.
1 – During the recent T20I series against England, Pooran became the second player to play 100 T20Is for West Indies and during the same series, overtook Kieron Pollard as West Indies’ most-capped player in the format.
1 – With 39 sixes in T20Is in 2024, Pooran equalled the West Indies record for the most sixes in a single calendar year in T20Is set by West Indies skipper Rovman Powell in 2022.