Will Nicholas Pooran define the next decade of T20 cricket?

Wed, May 5, '21

In the absence of an empirical method, becoming the Best T20 Batsman is about building an argument, a blend of statistical excellence and intangibles. As such, the accolade is constantly up for grabs in an informal tussle. It’s a tussle that has as much to do with recency as it does ability, one or two innings more than capable of throwing a player to the top of our collective imaginations, and rankings. You need the numbers, but it’s not just about them – it needs to feel right. Right now, Nicholas Pooran has as compelling a case as anybody else in the world.

The simple data tells us plenty of the story. In the last two years of domestic cricket, Pooran has flown. His scoring rate, 9.3rpo, has been matched by a batting average of 35, tying explosive hitting to consistent run-scoring, a combination which draws the eye of traditionalists and fanatics alike. Pooran’s effectiveness in T20 domestic leagues is almost unparalleled in the last year or so; since the start of 2020, his Average Batting Impact has risen to +4.9, the second-best of any player in the major leagues.

The breadth of your domestic record is clearly an indicator of your ability, but in T20, the IPL is still the pinnacle. If you strip away the bulk of the T20 calendar and look only at performances in the most major league, Pooran has still been mixing it with the absolute elite. Over the past two seasons the only men outperforming him are established Hall of Fame T20 batsmen: David Warner, Andre Russell, and Jos Buttler.

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