ICC T20 World Cup 2024: England Cricket Team Hires Kieron Pollard As Consultant

Former West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard could be included in the coaching staff of the England Cricket Team for the 2024 T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be hosted jointly by the West Indies and the USA. The former all-rounder was a part of the West Indies World Cup winning squad in 2012. According to reports from The Telegraph, England wants Pollard as he is someone who can provide valuable insights into local conditions. The former all-rounder also boasts a vast experience in T20 Cricket.

The defending T20 World Cup champions hired Michael Hussey for the same kind of role during the 2022 T20 World Cup and the move seemingly worked as they ended up as champions. After a disappointing ODI World Cup campaign, England will be hoping for a better outing in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup and will look forward to defending their title.

England’s white-ball skipper, Jos Buttler has shared the dressing room with several West Indian players in franchise leagues worldwide. He spoke about how enchanted he was with their mindset. Here’s what he was quoted as saying by the Telegraph, “I heard a few guys talk about it like, ‘There’s eight overs left, if we hit five sixes in that time, we’ll win the game’. It’s just a different way of thinking.” 

England Lost The T20I Series And ODI Series Against West Indies

The England captain recently endured a 3-2 series loss to hosts West Indies in a 5-match T20I series. He reflected on the defeat and claimed that it gave his team a great understanding of the conditions. England lost the first two matches but made a significant comeback in the next two games with Phil Salt scoring two consecutive centuries. However, West Indies won the series decider after bundling England for 132 and chasing the target with four wickets to spare.

“We all wanted to win the series and it’s hard to say that when you’ve lost, but I think we’ve found out some good things. Some players have stood up and done really well. We’ve obviously had five games out here in the Caribbean and had a really good look at what conditions will be like for the World Cup only six months away. So yeah, it’s been a good series.”

England’s dismal performance in the recently concluded ICC ODI World Cup 2023 has cast doubt on their ability to play on pitches that offer grip. It is hard to tell whether Kieron Pollard’s insights could work for them. England has not been in their best white-ball format since the commencement of the ODI World Cup. They lost six games out of the nine in the ODI World Cup.

The defending T20 World Champions dominated the white-ball circuit in the last four years winning both the white-ball major tournaments. However, the decline is currently vicious as they lost the ODI and T20I series against West Indies, a team that failed to qualify for two consecutive white-ball World Cups. The Team will have to bounce back soon.