Winning is everything, says Pollard
Kieron Pollard said West Indies need to start winning more matches and series going forward.
Kieron Pollard said West Indies need to start winning more matches and series going forward.

… Windies must put together more consistent performances

By Clifton Ross

AFTER mauling Sri Lanka in the first T20, West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard hailed the presence of a few veteran stars, along with his crop of young studs, for handling themselves during the initial battle.
Pollard, who blasted Akila Danajaya for 6 consecutive sixes to help lead the Caribbean Boys to their first blood drawing, said virtually ahead of the 2nd game that his team mates are currently being modelled for their World T20 Cup title defence, adding that he welcomes the mixture of generations within the side.
“Some of the younger guys got the opportunity in 2019 and since then we would not have gotten the results we had wanted. Guys were still in and out the team, for reasons outside of cricket, but these guys are performing despite their age, and as a team we need to win cricket matches and series,” said Pollard.
With Chris Gayle, Fidel Edwards, Dwayne Bravo and Lendl Simmons being among the oldest players in the team, Pollard said having some experience to lean on is ideal when building towards a title defence.

“We have to strike that balance, we have to start to win matches. We are the defending champions of the T20 World Cup and if that’s the case of having a couple or extra senior guys to start that process, then so be it,” added the captain.
One huge blow was Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer failing the initial fitness test prior to the tournament before eventually being named, but Pollard admitted that the left-hander’s absence has indeed left a void but urged him to do the necessary.
“It’s left a big void; it’s no secret about that. I think he (Hetmyer) knows what he needs to do and the reasons why he is not. But yes, he has left a big void and he knows exactly what he needs to do to be in the white ball teams.”

Wrapping up, the hard-hitting right-hander said he had faith in his batting lineup despite some instances of inconsistency at times. He believes the top 4 will need to do the heavy lifting which will allow the middle and lower order to come in and play a bit more freely.
“We want consistency from the top 4 batters. It’s something that plagued us over the years, but hopefully we can see some consistency and take it from there because T20 is an impact game”.
“He’ll (Gayle) have a specific role for us, again it’s left to see what transpires, but everyone will be clear on his role. We’re trying to dot our i’s and cross our t’s. Winning is everything and everything is geared towards the World Cup, The main thing is going on the cricket field and putting in consistent performances together for a longer period of time,” Pollard ended.

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