Amidst speculation over what prompted West Indies white-ball captain and all-rounder Kieron Pollard to suddenly retire from international cricket, some observers will probably argue that it came a few months late.
As a limited overs specialist who built his career on power hitting and supported it with medium-pace bowling, the burly Trinidadian carried an air of authority.
Having made his international debut 15 years ago to the month, Pollard, who celebrates his 35th birthday on May 12, had his admirers and detractors alike.
He took over as the West Indies white-ball captain in September 2019, replacing Jason Holder in One-Day Internationals and Carlos Brathwaite in Twenty20 Internationals.
After West Indies as defending T20 champions failed to reach the semi-finals in the United Arab Emirates and Oman last November, coupled with his disappointing batting, there were calls in several quarters for Pollard to be fired as captain.
Even so, Pollard remained optimistic about his international future. And he was never short of words.
But on Wednesday he announced his decision to quit in a video on social media while saying he was proud to have worn the maroon colours.
“After careful deliberation, I’ve today decided to retire from international cricket,” he said in the video on Instagram.
“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 in both the (T20) and (ODI) forms of the game.”
Pollard said leading the West Indies team, which he did with “passion, openness, courage, and everything I could ever possibly give both on and off the field without ever compromising my principles and integrity,” was the highest honour bestowed on him.
He expressed gratitude to the West Indies selectors, management teams and, in particular, head coach Phil Simmons “for seeing potential in me and for the faith they steadfastly had in me throughout my career”.
“This and the confidence Cricket West Indies (CWI) showed in me was particularly reassuring as I stepped up to take on the challenge of leading the team,” he said. “I wish to express thanks and appreciation to the President of CWI Mr. Ricky Skerritt for his unwavering support and encouragement, especially during my time as captain.”
Now rewind to last November at the T20 World Cup when Pollard was steadfast about his status at the post-match press conference after West Indies failed to reach the semi-finals.
After losing by 20 runs to Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi – their third defeat in four matches – Pollard told reporters he had no intentions of retiring from international cricket.
“Well, personally… I don’t set personal goals for personal glory. I play cricket to win cricket matches each and every time,” he said.
“We came to the World Cup to win and we haven’t done that. Unless you’re part of decisions that are going to get rid of me or fire me or retire me, as I stand right now, I have no intentions of not playing international cricket. One tournament or a couple of bad games don’t make a summer. And for me personally, there’s a lot of mileage in my legs and as an individual.
“There are people in different scenarios who make decisions and when it comes to that (captaincy) question, I can’t make that decision … but again we have a tendency as things go badly, the easiest thing is to blame or chop and do different things. But we accept that. I accept that and I take it on the chin and sometimes you have to absorb the pressure before you apply (it). But personally as an individual I’ve played a lot of good cricket in the last 18 months or two years or so. So, three-four games (are) not going to deter Kieron Pollard.”
At the end of the Tournament with West Indies suffering four defeats in five matches, Pollard remarked: “Overall it’s been a disappointing campaign. In terms of the batting we have not done well at all. Our bowling has been decent but not good enough. It’s the end of a generation, we have some guys who have done some good things for T20 cricket in our team and around the world.
“We as people are very proud. We have to look at the way we play T20 cricket. What we’ve seen is that one guy in the top four has to bat as long as possible. Going forward I need to do that better. We have to start from a foundation now.”
The fact that Pollard did not play a Test match was hardly envisaged after he scored an attacking century (126) on debut for Trinidad & Tobago against Barbados at the North Stars ground, Crab Hall, St. Lucy in 2007.
As his appetite for white-ball cricket increased, his presence in the red-ball version dwindled and to such an extent that he played the last of only 27 first-class matches in 2015.
In 123 ODIs, Pollard scored 2 706 runs including three centuries and 13 fifties at an average of 26.01 and took 55 wickets (ave: 39.29), while in 101 T20Is, he made 1569 runs with six half-centuries (ave: 25.30) and picked up 42 wickets (ave: 28.28).
He captained West Indies in 61 matches in the two formats, winning 25 and losing 31 with the others ending in no-results, and is the only West Indian to have played 100 T20Is.
His reputation as one of the most destructive batters in global franchise cricket is well documented. Surely he would have wanted to deliver more for West Indies.
Now Pollard has said he would offer support in other ways, where possible.
“As I move on and make room for those who will carry the game forward in West Indies colours, know that I will always be supporting in whatever way I can. It is with profound gratitude for living my dream that I now raise my bat in salute to all that is West Indies cricket,” he said.
“Respect for my teammates has been a guiding principle of mine and, in turn, I have always felt that reciprocated. This made my job all the more enjoyable and rewarding. For their support, I am ever thankful to all my teammates over the years, both as a player and as captain, and wish each of them continued success in the years ahead.”
Skerritt said: “On behalf of everyone at CWI I would like to express our thanks to Kieron Pollard for his outstanding service to West Indies ODI and T20 teams over the past 15 years.
“We respect his decision to retire from international cricket and are especially grateful for the high quality of leadership and commitment he invested in both West Indies teams since his appointment as our white-ball captain in September 2019. We wish him continued success in his career.”
On the point of leadership, it was noticeable, however, that Pollard was losing his confidence with the bat, opting not to promote himself at vital stages.
So who should be Pollard’s successor as captain bearing in mind that the next T20 World Cup is slated for later this year in Australia and the ODI World Cup next year in India?
As its stands, Nicholas Pooran should lead the T20 side and Shai Hope the ODI team.
Keith Holder is a veteran, award-winning freelance sports journalist, who has been covering local, regional and International cricket since 1980 as a writer and commentator. He has compiled statistics on the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Division 1 (rebranded Elite in 2012) Championship for four decades and provides statistics and stories for the BCA website (www.barbadoscricket.org). Email: Keithfholder@gmail.com
