POORAN’S LOVE FOR DUBAI AND THE HOLES IN NEESHAM’S BAT
Kings XI Punjab’s Nicholas Pooran, who played a breezy match winning knock of 53 runs off 28 balls against Delhi Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday, has a special affection for this venue. It was his stupendous century for the West Indies Under- 19 team from this venue in the 2014 World Cup that caught the attention of the cricketing world. He scored 143 runs in his team’s total of 208 in the quarterfinals but his knock went in vain as Australia won that match by five wickets. Interestingly, Pooran made his T20 International debut too from this venue against Pakistan in 2016.
Speaking to Gulf News in 2016 when he was here to play that series, he said: “I have fond memories of Dubai. As a youngster, I used to sit at home and watch the West Indies win the two T20 World Cups ( 2012 and 2016). I had planned to play for the West Indies by the age of 21, but I got selected at 20. This is an amazing moment for me.”
NEESHAM’S DEBUT AND HOLES IN HIS BAT
For Kings XI Punjab’s New Zealand pacer Jamesh Neesham, who dismissed Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw early on Tuesday, India has played a major role in his career. He made his Test debut against India in 2014 and achieved the honour of scoring a century on debut. Batting at No. 8 in the Wellington Test, he cracked an unbeaten 137 in the second innings. In 2014, Neesham had a shock while travelling through the USA for the Caribbean Premier League. An overzealous custom official drilled holes in his bat looking for drugs, and Neesham had tweeted the picture of his bat with the holes. Neesham has a very deep voice that has won him appreciation from many radio commentators.