(Trinidad Guardian) Trinidad and Tobago cricketer Kieron Pollard has firmly established himself as one of the greatest performers in the shorter forms of the game after his spectacular record-equalling display of power-hitting on Wednesday in Antigua & Barbuda.
The 33-year-old all-rounder joined South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs and Yuvraj Singh of India as the only batsmen to crash six sixes in one over in the limited-overs format as he led West Indies to a four-wicket victory, with 41 balls to spare after losing six wickets, over Sri Lanka in the first CG T20 International at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
Fresh from captaining the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force to victory in an unprecedented unbeaten seven-match run which concluded with a 152 run win over Guyana Jaguars in the Cricket West Indies CG Super50 Cup on Saturday at the same venue, Pollard lofted spinner Akilaq Dananjaya over the ropes six consecutive times in the sixth over of the innings.
In his previous over, the Sri Lankan had snapped up a hat-trick (three wickets in three consecutive balls to remove removed Lewis, Chris Gayle (0) and Nicholas Pooran (0) to put West Indies in a spot of trouble chasing 132 to win.
On Thursday, president of the T&T Cricket Board Azim Bassarath said that Pollard’s feat defied description and underlined his ability to rise to the occasion which makes him a truly inspirational leader.
“We have now become accustomed to these exhilarating performances in all facets of the game from the West Indies white-ball captain, while batting in crucial stages of the game, bowling at the death, or executing gravity-defying catches in the outfield,” said Bassarath.
The T&TCB boss said that his exceptional exploits have made him a standout in championship-winning teams like the Red Force, the West Indies, and the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.
Incidentally, all three, Pollard, Gibbs and Yuvraj are Mumbai Indians players.
“Now he’s the only the second cricketer after Yuvraj to smash six maximums in T20 Internationals. It is also the second exhibition of power-hitting recorded in the Caribbean following Gibbs’ feat in a 2007 World Cup 50-Over match in St Kitts & Nevis against the Netherlands,” said Bassarath.
West Indies legend Sir Garry Sobers was the first to set the standard for six-hitting when he played for Nottinghamshire in English County Cricket against Glamorgan in Swansea, Wales on August 31, 1968.
Bassarath said that Pollard seems to be getting better with age, proving to be a winner at the forefront of three winning teams in the past six months with the Mumbai in the 2020 IPL in the United Arab Emirates, the Red Force in the 2020 CPL in Trinidad and Tobago, and the recent CG Regional Super50 Cup in Antigua & Barbuda.
Bassarath said that Pollard will be greatly missed as he won’t be available to skipper the Red Force in the CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament as he will be on franchise club duty with Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
“The TTCB congratulates our captain on his record-equaling performance which has made T&T proud and warmed the hearts of his fans all over the world. Polly is an exceptional ambassador for our country who has deservedly etched his name in the history of cricket,” Bassarath.
The TTCB boss extended his best wishes to Pollard and the entire West Indies team for the two remaining T20 matches, and the three ODIs to follow against the Sri Lankans.
Meanwhile, Cricket West Indies (CWI) President, Ricky Skerritt, has congratulated Trinidad and Tobago Red Force on their outstanding performance, to win the CG Insurance Super50 Cup at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.
The Red Force had a dominant victory in last Saturday’s final, by 152 runs over the Guyana Jaguars, and a perfect record in winning all seven matches. Skipper Kieron Pollard had the cherished honour of lifting the Sir Clive Lloyd trophy.
Skerritt sent short messages of congratulations to President Bassarath and Pollard following the Final.
In commenting on the overall tournament Skerritt said:
“This was a remarkable show of force by Trinidad and Tobago from start to finish. It was a total team effort and Red Force found a match-winner at every stage. The other five franchise teams, including losing finalist Guyana Jaguars, all worked hard and showed good fighting qualities to varying degrees. But The Red Force was more dominant and consistent than ever, and simply unstoppable.”
In a direct note to Bassarath, Skerritt said,
“Congrats on a great tournament and Final victory for TTCB and your team. This incredible performance should emphasize the vital importance of planning and preparation. I hope it has also reminded us why cricket administrators should not simply throw away senior players while these players still have such good value to their team and country. Successful cricket teams employ a healthy balance of youth and experience, just like your team did in winning this tournament.”
President Skerritt also thanked the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, local health and medical officials, the tournament officials and operators from the Antigua & Barbuda Cricket Association, The Leewards Board, and CWI who worked diligently to make the CG Insurance Super-50 event such a huge success.