PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, Aug 17, CMC – West Indies batsman Kieron Pollard has been cleared of any serious injury, after being struck in the face by a short ball in the final of the Friends Provident Twenty20 final on Saturday.
The right handed had scored a typically explosive 22 from seven balls when he tried to hook a bouncer from former England seamer Dominic Cork and was hit in the eye.
He left the field unaided but with his right eye swollen shut and was taken to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Southampton Hospital for scans which revealed nothing serious.
The big all-rounder arrived in T&T on Sunday night from London to continue his recuperation.
“Kieron is fine and will be able to resume his cricket very shortly,” said T&T manager Colin Borde.
“The results of the examinations showed that there were no fractures to the eye socket and also there was no damage to the retina. This is great news. The swelling has subsided and he is resting.”
Borde also said Pollard would be fit and available to represent Mumbai Indians in next month’s Airtel Champions League in South Africa.
“Pollard will be definitely joining his countryman Dwayne Bravo in South Africa to play with the Mumbai Indians in the Champions League,” Borde noted.
“After a short rest he and Bravo will take off for South Africa on September 5, with the Champions league beginning on September 10.”
With Pollard not available, Somerset lost a tense final to Hampshire off the last ball at the Rose Bowl, going down by virtue of losing more wickets after scores finished tied.
Pollard had earlier on Saturday propelled Somerset into the final with a wonderful catch that proved to be Nottinghamshire’s undoing in the semi-final.
Samit Patel had smashed 39 off 26 balls to put Notts ahead of the Duckworth/Lewis method, with rain looming at the Rose Bowl.
But Patel clipped one into to the deep and Pollard sprinted around from long-on to hold on to a brilliant leaping catch that left Notts three runs behind the DL method as the rains came.