Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers decline West Indies central contracts

3 top West Indies cricketers, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers declined central contracts, revealed the Windies Cricket Board on Sunday.

However, the board stated that the 3 players will be available for all T20I matches for the side. The development came just 6 months before the T20 World Cup, which the West Indies and the USA will co-hoast in June.

“With a busy year of cricket ahead, in all three formats, we have held several detailed discussions with the two Head Coaches on the brand of cricket they want to play. We are very clear in the direction we want to go. The players who have been offered contracts are among those who we expect to feature, as we look to build towards challenging for the top spot when we host and compete in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 on home soil," said selector Desmond Haynes.

"We also have away Test Series in Australia and England – these are two major assignments whilst in the 50-over format we look to build a nucleus of players aimed towards the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027,” he further added.

Player and board relations in West Indies have been at a low since a couple of years, with many cricketers opting to play league cricket around the world rather international matches.

The West Indies also failed to qualify for the T20 World Cup in in 2022 and also didn't make it to the recently-concluded Cricket World Cup 2023.