Published: Oct 25, 2016, 08:55 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 25, 2016, 08:55 PM (IST)
After being dropped from the West Indies side for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, Kieron Pollard has slammed the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for questioning his commitment. Pollard calls the decision “funny” and believes that he does not need to do anything to convince the board to consider him for future series. Pollard was left confused as the chairman of selectors Courtney Browne said that Pollard’s experience would be good for the young West Indies squad. Along with Pollard, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin too has been dropped for the upcoming tri-series in Zimbabwe, which will also feature the hosts and Sri Lanka.
“When chairman of selectors Courtney Browne notified me via email of my axing, I reminded him of why my exclusion was funny because during the Twenty20 and one-day series, the two of us had a long conversation, speaking about wanting to have guys such as myself around going forward in West Indies cricket,” Pollard told ESPNcricinfo. “A lot people tend to say Pollard and many of us are mercenaries and have given nothing to West Indies cricket. While it’s clear I don’t have the stats or the figures of a Brian Lara, nobody, as some were trying to suggest, can ever question my commitment or integrity while playing. Why would I wake up one morning and just decide I wouldn’t want to try? Scoring runs is how I survive.”
Browne was however adamant and stood by the decision to drop Pollard. “Kieron’s performance in the ODI series was far below what one expects from a player of his experience and his effort level was not what is expected from West Indies cricketers,” Browne told ESPNcricinfo. “Kieron is therefore urged to compete in our domestic competitions, where he will have an additional opportunity to demonstrate his ability and can be considered again for selection.” READ: Kieron Pollard: West Indies meltdown started following Phil Simmons’ sacking
Pollard did not have a good tour of the UAE, where he played three ODIs and three T20Is against Pakistan. He scored just 43 runs and bowled just a couple of overs in the T20I series and followed it up with just 42 runs and picked up just one wicket in the ODI series.
