T20 GOAT giving England 'gold nuggets'

THE EDITOR: Being the goat of something does not have an idiomatic meaning. One can be a goat if you are a “hooved” animal or you are the butt of a joke, or a scapegoat if somebody wants to blame you for something.

You can separate the goats from the sheep, as is being done in the current T20 World Cup. But when you see GOAT in capital letters in a discussion among sports fans, it means “the greatest of all time.”

Chris Stocks, a sports analyst, wrote recently, “The T20 GOAT is giving England 'gold nuggets' of cricketing wisdom at the World Cup.” He said that Kieron Pollard, the "GOAT,” has provided a “wealth of knowledge” and a winning mentality as the unsung hero of England’s turbulent tournament. He reiterated that Pollard’s local knowledge has been a huge asset.

When the most decorated player in T20 history was announced as England’s consultant, many eyebrows were raised, with some sceptics asking how could he be a consultant for England? Isn’t he a “Trini to the bone” and shouldn’t he be a West Indian loyalist?

Well this consultant’s local knowledge and winner of 15 major titles in this format have made him a valuable addition to the England team. And yes, he has played a significant role in England reaching this semi-final stage of the tournament.

Well, to silence the critics who questioned Pollard’s loyalty to the West Indies, he is a professional offering his services in what he is excellent at. Of the 20 teams in the World Cup, only four teams have stuck to their “local talent” in their coaching staff – India, New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa, three of which made it to the "Super Eight."

Most notable is India, which has a tendency of sticking with the same old policy. Rahul Dravid has expressed the sentiment that even in the IPL, the teams should hire more coaches from India.

But despite all the wealth and all the talent in India’s cricket, it has not won the final game of an ICC tournament since 2013, despite having a “herd of GOAT” players. Maybe the time has come to include some sheep.

Pollard, who has five Indian Premier League championship wins and the 2012 World Cup among his trophy haul, shares an agent with England head coach Mathew Mott and previously shared a dressing room with England’s captain, Jos Butler, at Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

After England’s failed World Cup campaign in India, Butler suggested his former teammate as an option to bring on board. With England’s managing director of cricket suggesting that local knowledge was a key failing during their previous tournament, the decision to hire Pollard was a no-brainer.

After a poor start to the World Cup and a heavy loss to Australia, Pollard’s impact seemed minimal, but it was his cool head and words of wisdom that pulled England out of trouble. Pollard assured that an impending tropical storm in Antigua would “blow through” and worked out various scenarios possible in a rain-shortened game. Gloom and doom turned to victory and England has now made it to the final four.

The “GOAT” was lauded by Butler who said “Kieron Pollard was excellent in that situation. He’s been around and seen it all and has that laidback attitude of “this is just what happens, we can deal with it. He knows everything about the Caribbean and he’s got that winning mindset. That’s something we’re really tapping into.”

Various players from the England team have heaped praises on Pollard including Mark Wood, Harry Brook and Jonny Bairstow. Bairstow said, “I think that wealth of knowledge and also that winning mentality is something that can’t be replaced.”

Wood was equally generous in praise: “He carries an aura and is very respected. Those little things people say – the one percenters – can make a difference.” Brook chimed in with “tapping into the knowledge of a seasoned winner from outside England’s cricket bubble is priceless.”

Mott has spoken about how Pollard has already given the team a "few gold nuggets” in the World Cup, while wishing for a few more. The goat is truly being separated from the sheep.

TERRENCE KALLOO

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