MUMBAIi: West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard, among the most devastating batsmen lower down the order in IPL 3, is prepared to bat at any number for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the upcoming Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) in South Africa. “Wherever I am asked to go by the technical staff I would do so. I want to perform for my team, that’s all,” said Pollard late last night.
In the third edition of the Indian Premier League, the Trinidadian used to come in at number seven or eight for MI and strike deadly late blows to take the match away from the opposition.
He scored 213 runs off only 124 balls from 12 matches. He also hit a staggering 12 sixes and 19 fours (148 runs) that helped him maintain a superb strike rate of 171.77 at the end of the tournament where the Sachin Tendulkar-led MI finished runners-up to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings.
Looking ahead to the CLT20, Pollard who is recovering from an eye injury said he had a doctor’s appointment later in the day.
“I have a doctor’s appointment today and I’m confident I would be fit for the Champions League (commencing on September 10). The swelling has gone down a lot,” he said.
The genial giant, set to meet up with his MI team-mates in Johannesburg after flying out with fellow-Trinidadian Dwayne Bravo on September 5, was upbeat about his IPL team’s chances in CLT20.
“We have a good team with impressive young batsmen like Shikhar Dhiwan and Saurabh Tiwary. It all will boil down to how well we adapt to the conditions in South Africa, which will be bouncy and seaming, definitely different to Indian wickets.