Pollard goes berserk: A booing crowd spurs me on

Trinbago Knight Riders captain Kieron Pollard said booing fans at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia spurred him on to deliver victory for this team.

Pollard smashed a brisk 52 not out (seven sixes) off 19 deliveries to steer his team to an exciting four-wicket win over St Lucia Kings in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League on September 10.

TKR needed 27 runs in 12 balls in pursuit of 188, and Pollard did not disappoint, demonstrating that he is still one of most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket. He struck four sixes off fast bowler Matthew Forde in the 19th over to swing the match in TKR’s favour.

Akeal Hosein hit a four off the first ball in the final over to seal the win, but it was Pollard's heroics in the previous over that decided the match, as TKR closed on 189/6.

Forde conceded 24 runs in the over, despite starting the over with a dot ball – a yorker that Pollard could not get away. The burly Pollard pulled Forde for six next ball to keep TKR in the hunt.

Pollard knew the result rested on his shoulders and he turned down a single off the third ball.

The decision proved the right one as the former West Indies captain dismantled Forde with three consecutive sixes to bring up his half century.

Earlier in the 18th over, Pollard showed experienced pacer Alzarri Joseph a bit of respect by not taking any chances. As a result, TKR only scored five runs in that over, before Pollard went on a rampage.

A former captain of the Kings franchise, Pollard said the hostility from the crowd added fuel to the fire.

In a TV interview after the match, he said, "Obviously for someone who has played for West Indies over a period of time (and) walking out to bat in St Lucia (where I) played, captained here as well, hearing the crowd boo, I think they can continue to do that throughout the entire tournament.

"In this stage of my career, I am just enjoying my cricket, and if they want to raise something from the inside, they can continue to do so. It is fine."

After the match, Pollard looked in the direction of the crowd and placed his finger on his lips and also cupped his ears, urging the crowd to boo more. It is not the first time he has had his battles with crowds during the CPL, and not the first time he has come out on top.

In 2019, against Guyana Amazon Warriors, at Providence Stadium, Guyana, Pollard blasted 26 from nine balls to get the win. His entrance to the wicket was greeted with jeers from the partisan crowd. Unfazed, Pollard punished the Guyana bowlers and later thanked the boo-boys for the added motivation.

TKR will play Barbados Royals in their next match on September 13 from 7 pm at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Pollard also captained the Barbados franchise, leading the team to the 2014 CPL title in the league's second season.

"I am looking forward to that. Obviously I played there for a long time and you know much they love me there as well," Pollard said with a smile.

Before the onslaught by Pollard, Shaqkere Parris showed his ability as he got TKR off to a blistering start with 57 off 33 balls, batting at number three.

Spinner Noor Ahmad picked up 2/35 in four overs and Forde also took two wickets, but leaked 49 runs in the process.

Batting first, Roston Chase continued to show quality for the St Lucia franchise with a top score of 56 not out to steer the Kings to 187/6 in 20 overs.

Chase, who came to the crease with Kings 56/2 in the sixth over, took control of the innings to keep the scoreboard ticking.

After Chase lost his captain Faf du Plessis for 34, he found an able partner in Bhanuka Rajapaksa as the pair put on 80 runs for the fourth wicket.

As the runs were flowing off the bat, TKR spinner Sunil Narine was at his best, grabbing two wickets and conceding just 13 runs in four overs.

Rajapaksa was dismissed for 33 with the score on 151, before cameos from Tim Seifert and Forde (11 each) guided Kings to the competitive score.

Left-arm spinner Waqar Salamkheil supported Narine with 2/37 in four overs. There were a few lapses by TKR in the field.

Pollard wants his team to sharpen up in that department.

"My main thing is the fielding. That is something that is unacceptable from a team. When you see young guys and even senior guys dropping catches, it is not good for the team.

"We can be outskilled with the bat and the ball, but fielding and our attitude towards wanting to win is something we need to improve on."

Pollard highlighted the performances of Narine, pacer Terrance Hinds (1/40) and Parris. He said Hinds continues to accept the challenge of bowling in the death overs.

TKR now have two wins and one loss in three matches.

Scores: ST LUCIA KINGS 187/6 (20 overs) (Roston Chase 56 not out, Faf du Plessis 34, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 33; Sunil Narine 2/13, Waqar Salamkheil 2/37) vs TKR 189/6 (19.1 overs) (Shaqkere Parris 57, Kieron Pollard 52 not out; Noor Ahmad 2/35, Matthew Forde 2/49). TKR won by four wickets.