The global popularity of Kieron Pollard

BRYAN DAVIS

CONGRATULATIONS to Kieron Pollard on reaching the milestone of 500 T20 games in his cricket career. That is a fantastic achievement especially more rewarding as he is the captain of the West Indies (WI) cricket team in this format of the game. He has also been the first player to attain this landmark. What this proves is how attractive this attacking right-handed batsman is to the T20 leagues across the globe.

His batting is not the whole story because he is without doubt one of the best fieldsmen in the game and a superb catcher. He can also dish up a couple of overs to entice a set batsman to take an unnecessary chance and be dismissed.

Pollard first came to the notice of the international aficionados of the sport when he was part of the TT team to India in 2009 after he had played a handful of games, in the Stanford tournament, in Antigua between 2006 and 2009. He had also played a few games without much success for the West Indies in the World Cup held in the Caribbean in 2007.

However, India was a competition for the champions world-wide in T20 cricket. It was a new competition which included the fundamental Indian teams alloyed as they were with a variety of overseas players. There were two teams from England, Australia, South Africa, then one from New Zealand and Sri Lanka. There were three sides from the Indian Premier League (IPL).

No team from the Caribbean was invited as there was no T20 tournament in the region. Happily, the TT Cricket Board, at the time under the presidency of Deryck Murray made a case for the winner of the previous Stanford tournament to represent the West Indies. TT had won that contest; they were accepted and Daren Ganga’s team, including Pollard, were on their way.

On October 16, 2009 cricket fans, particularly of the new exciting 20-over per inning cricket game discovered the beauty of timing and all-round stroke-making of the 6’ 4” Trinidadian.

The game was against the New South Wales Blues, of Australia, in what was called the Airtel Champions League (ACL).

The following describes what I witnessed that day :

“Chasing 171 for victory in their turn at the crease the cricketers of TT were languishing at 91 for 5 when Kieron Pollard strolled in to join Denesh Ramdin and fans who knew the tall right-handed batsman from club matches or the Stanford games would still have some hope of a revival to win the match. It’s the type of innings his fans and all cricket followers always longed for. It’s rare vintage…a pure mixture of power and timing; it needs to combine with the necessary confidence to produce an earth-shattering performance that once seen is never forgotten. Ramdin was out with the score at 118 still leaving 53 runs in four overs. Most thought it was all over for, at this time in the tournament, not one Trinidadian had as yet scored a fifty. With blissful nonchalance and a murderous blade, Pollard condemned that 5 ½ oz. white ball to a destiny far beyond the limitations of boundaries or stands with cruel and expensive punishment, the bowling of Moises Henriques, the young, unexposed Australian fast bowler, standing out for a sentence of scourging and whipping. In the end the target was reached, Pollard struck 54 not out off 18 balls and became the toast of Hyderabad and the TT team, the darlings of the Indian sub-continent.”

Dwayne Bravo first played for Mumbai Indians in 2009 before the introduction of the ACL; he was injured and recommended to the Mumbai authorities his friend Pollard as a replacement. Enquiries were made and it was learnt that the big man had pulled a muscle while representing TT at Guaracara Park in a regional game.

Needless to say, when TT visited, Mumbai Indians had their eyes on Pollard and the rest is history.

Pollard has been a gallant cricketer and a great ambassador for TT. To this day he has represented no other team in the IPL except the Mumbai Indians. He is extremely popular in Mumbai which is like a second home to him and his family. He has even acted as captain on a number of occasions.

The roar and applause that greets his appearance when he comes in to bat in Mumbai has been compared favourably to Sachin Tendulkar…high praise indeed.