Need To Protect Young Players From Vultures, Says Kieron Pollard

Following the flop show in 2019 World Cup in England and India series at home in August-September, West Indies cricket board sacked Jason Holder as the limited-overs captain and appointed Kieron Pollard as his successor. It is going to be a test of Kieron Pollard’s potential as captain as series of challenges awaits. He will be leading the West Indies cricket team from the front. West Indies will play three T20Is and as many ODIs against India.

Interestingly, Pollard will be playing his first bilateral ODI series against India since 2016 as he was taken off from the squad owing to an infamous dispute with the previous Windies Cricket Board. Under the tutelage of Pollard, Windies clinched a bilateral ODI series for the first time since 2014 when they comprehensively whitewashed Afghanistan, 3-0, in Lucknow of late. However, the two-time champions succumbed to a 1-2 series defeat in the T20Is after coming out on top in the opening contest.

We need to back youngsters: Kieron Pollard

Ahead of the three-match T20I series against India, West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said that the team management needs to protect young players within the squad from vultures who are out there to prevent them from shining.

“We need to back these young guys as we have seen their talent and attitude. Exciting times ahead for the youngsters, we have a lot of young talent, it is just about easing them into the world of international cricket. Sometimes you need to be honest with yourselves and protect them from the vultures who are out there to bring them down,” Kieron Pollard told reporters on the eve of the T20I opener.

West Indies will approach the series without its key players Sunil Narine and Andre Russell for the T20I series against India. However, Pollard said that the team needs to move on and aim to give absolutely everything on the field. “You do not want to have players trying to fill in the gaps of senior players. For us, Russell, Narine and Bravo are big gaps, but as a team, we have selected 15 players to do a job here. We back each and every player, when these senior players become available for selection, we can have a discussion about it. It is what it is, we have moved on from that and we know the reasons why they are not here,” he added.

Read More: Kieron Pollard Confident Of Putting Up A Good Show Against India

The first T20I game is scheduled to play on December 6 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad and the second fixture will be played at Greenfield International Stadium, Kerala on December 8 and the final match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on December 11.

Squads:

West Indies T20 squad:

Fabian Allen, Brandon King, Denesh Ramdin, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, Shimron Hetmyer, Khary Pierre, Lendl Simmons, Jason Holder, Kieron Pollard (captain), Hayden Walsh Jr, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Kesrick Williams.

West Indies ODI Squad:

Sunil Ambris, Shai Hope, Khary Pierre, Rostan Chase, Alzarri Joseph, Kieron Pollard (captain), Sheldon Cottrell, Brandon King, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Keemo Paul, Hayden Walsh Jr.