Johnson Charles to replace Nicholas Pooran in Multan Sultans squad

LAHORE: West Indies top-order batsman Nicholas Pooran has been replaced by two-time ICC T20 World Cup winner Johnson Charles in the Multan Sultans squad for HBL Pakistan Super League being played from February 14.

Pooran has earned a maiden call-up to the Windies squad for the ODI series against England after a successful outing in the T20 format, said a spokesman of the PCB here on Thursday night.

Johnson Charles joins the Sultans squad as a Silver category player. The 30-year-old top order batsman from Saint Lucia was a part of the Windies team in 2012 and 2016 when they went on to lift the ICC T20 World Cup trophies.

Charles brings with him the experience of 135 T20 games in which he has scored 3,107 runs at an average of 24.08 and a strike rate of 125.28 and will also add depth to the Sultans squad with his wicket-keeping abilities.

"I have heard so many good things about HBL PSL and I can't wait to be a part of this Pakistani cricket festival," said Charles, while talking about his inclusion in the HBL PSL. "Our squad at Multan Sultans is fairly balanced and I am confident that we can do well this year," said Charles.

"Personally speaking, I am really looking forward to sharing the dressing room with guys like Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi. They have played so much cricket and I am sure they will have great things to share with me and with the rest of our squad as well," he said.

Multan Sultans coach Johan Botha said: "As a team, we are very happy for Pooran. He has worked hard and his excellent performances over this past year have been recognised."

"I'd like to welcome Johnson Charles to the Multan Sultans squad. We are confident that Johnson will play a significant role in our HBL PSL campaign this year. He has the experience of two ICC World T20 wins under his belt and I have no doubt that our team will benefit from his performances and his experience."

Multan Sultans will start their HBL PSL 2019 campaign with a match against Karachi Kings on 15 February at the Dubai International Stadium.