Injured Pollard to miss West Indies tour of Pakistan

WEST Indies white ball (One Day International and T20 International) captain Kieron Pollard will miss this month's tour of Pakistan due to a hamstring injury, which he sustained during the recent ICC T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

The WI will play three T20Is and three ODIs, from December 13-22, at the National Stadium, Karachi.

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel has named the experienced Devon Thomas, as the replacement in the One-Day International (ODI) squad while allrounder Rovman Powell, is the replacement in the T20 International (T20I) squad.

The CWI, in a media release, said, "Pollard will undergo rehabilitation work in Trinidad, under the supervision of CWI’s chief medical officer, Dr. Israel Dowlat, and will be reassessed in a few weeks ahead of the forthcoming home tours against Ireland and England in January 2022.

"With Pollard ruled out, Nicholas Pooran will lead the team in the T20Is. He was stand-in captain when West Indies beat Australia 4-1 in the five match CG Insurance T20I Series in St Lucia earlier this year. Shai Hope will captain the team in the ODIs for the first time. Pooran is vice-captain for the ODIs and Hope the vice-captain for the T20Is."

Thomas, who is also a wicket-keeper and part-time medium pacer, has played 21 ODIs and scored 238 runs, at an average of 14.00, since making his debut against Bangladesh, in Dominica, in July 2009. He makes a return to the WI squad since the 2013 tour of Australia.

Powell, a hard-hitting middle-order batsman and medium pacer, have scored 344 runs, at 18.10, in 30 T20Is, since his debut against Pakistan, in Barbados, in March 2017. He last featured for the Windies T20 squad against Sri Lanka, in Antigua, in March.