West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard retires from international cricket
West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has announced his retirement from international cricket. One of the greatest batters in T20 cricket, Pollard bows out after representing the Windies in 123 ODIs and 101 T20Is. Earlier this year, West Indies lost the three-match T20I series to India in Pollard's leadership. Pollard remains the only WI batter to have smashed 6 sixes in an over (international cricket).
"After careful deliberation I've today decided to retire from international cricket. As is the case of many young persons it was a dream of mine to represent the West Indies team from the time I was a boy of 10 years and I'm proud to have represented West Indies cricket for over 15 years," Pollard stated in a video on Instagram.
Pollard made his international debut in 2007 (ODI against South Africa). In a career that spanned over a decade, the hard-hitting all-rounder played 123 ODIs and 101 T20Is. Pollard scored 2,706 ODI runs at 26.01 (three centuries and 13 fifties). Pollard has also scalped 55 wickets in this format. He tallied 1,569 T20I runs at a strike rate of 135.14 (42 wickets).
In March 2021, Pollard scripted history by smashing 6 sixes in an over. He achieved the feat in the first T20I against Sri Lanka. He smashed 6 sixes in an over off spinner Akila Dananjaya, who had taken a hat-trick in his previous over. Pollard became only the third cricketer after Yuvraj Singh and Herschelle Gibbs to have reached the landmark in international cricket.
Pollard is the third-highest run-scorer for West Indies in T20 Internationals after Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels. He has the third-most sixes in the format for the Caribbeans (99). Pollard is one of the few players to have taken four catches in an ODI inning. He also holds the record for registering 1,000 runs, 50 wickets, and 50 catches in the IPL.
Pollard was appointed West Indies' captain for ODI and T20I sides in 2019. He went on to lead the side in 61 matches across two formats, winning 25 of them. Pollard led WI to series wins against Afghanistan (ODIs), Sri Lanka (T20Is), and England (T20Is). He won the T20 World Cup in 2012 (in Sri Lanka) with West Indies.
Pollard is presently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for five-time champions Mumbai Indians. He has been under the scanner due to his poor form with the bat. The star all-rounder has accumulated 82 runs from six matches at an average of 16.40. His strike rate has plunged to 134.43. With the ball, Pollard has picked a solitary wicket.
