Pollard should help WI cricket

THE EDITOR: One of the modern-day stalwarts of West Indies cricket, Kieron Pollard, has announced his retirement from the Mumbai Indians of the Indian Premier League.

However, Pollard is to continue as the batting coach of the Mumbai Indians.

In fact, a player of Pollard’s calibre should have paid more attention in rendering his services, knowledge and experience to the West Indies cricket team, which gave him his start, his name and his fame.

But it seems he has opted to hitch his wagon to the lucrative IPL. It is now an open secret that the IPL is nothing but a venture run by Indian industrialists, Bollywood personalities and politicians.

They auction the players from various cricket-playing countries by spending crores of rupees.

The West Indies legend Sir Michael Holding openly expressed his disapproval against the T20 format of cricket a long time back.

The need of the hour is to build up the West Indies ODI and Test squads so as to return West Indies cricket to its rightful place among the cream of the crop of cricket countries. Veterans such as Pollard would be expected to contribute to the rebuilding cause.

ANIL R TORNE

Pune, India