Powerplay: How Nicholas Pooran is reviving MI Cape Town's SA20 campaign

“I love to hit sixes.”

The simplicity of the statement says all there is to know about Nicholas Pooran. The West Indies T20 superstar is not one to overcomplicate things. Perhaps it stems from his island upbringing in Trinidad and Tobago, but for Pooran, things are almost always simply black and white.

When asked why MI Cape Town have not performed well in this year’s Betway SA20, Pooran responded frankly after the four-wicket victory over JSK: “I haven't scored any runs. That's one of the reasons why we're in this situation, if I'm being really honest. We're in this position today because we haven't taken that responsibility as individual players. And that's the truth.”

But is it not a case of the wickets in South Africa being tricky for batting? “The pitches here are lovely,” Pooran responded. “If you're asking me, I'm coming from the Caribbean; all these wickets are good. That Paarl wicket was beautiful to bat on in my opinion. I'm really happy to get the opportunity to smash a couple of sixes on them.”

Pooran’s amazing ball-striking ability was on full display at Newlands on Tuesday evening. After providing a glimpse of his power in the New Year’s Eve clash against Durban’s Super Giants, the southpaw showed why he is ranked No. 6 on the all-time list of six-hitters in T20 International cricket.

He smoked five maximums all over Newlands in his 15-ball 33, with Joburg Super Kings fast bowler Richard Gleeson bearing the brunt of the punishment. There was one particularly special strike that smashed into the top tier of the Members' Stand, but in typical Pooran fashion, he brushed it off. “I’m sure I’ve hit bigger sixes than that. I’m just disappointed I hit it too flat, so it hit the roof. It should have missed the roof completely,” he chuckled.

But the powerhouse left-hander does admit there is a certain level of science to him smashing bowlers all around the park. “It just depends on what's required, who's the bowler, if it's a match-up or not. I pride myself on being aggressive to the left-arm orthodox. That's my match-up, I believe,” he said.

“If they do come to bowl to me, it gives me an opportunity to strike at 200, 300. Now, I don't get that opportunity against left-arm orthodox that much. It's like getting food, and if you don't eat it, you're not going to get it again. So, I decided to eat my food. But that's the situation I'm in. Yes, I love to hit sixes. That's my job. That's what they pay me for.”

It certainly is, and MI Cape Town fans will be hoping that with Pooran having rediscovered his mojo, and the defending champions having finally secured their first victory of the new season, the team can now go on a bit of a run to stay in contention for the play-offs.

Pooran certainly hopes so. “It's a relief to get some points on the board, to be honest,” he said. “A massive win for us going on the road as well. We have a couple of days off and it gives us the opportunity to breathe a little. The tournament is not over for us; we believe it has just started for us and we hope we can gather some momentum here going on the road. We just want to take it game by game. Every game is going to bring a different situation for us.”