Published: Apr 09, 2016, 11:21 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 09, 2016, 11:21 AM (IST)
Kieron Pollard, the West Indies cricketer blasted out against the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) over its ill treatment of players, thereby defending the views of his World Cup-winning teammates and standing besides them. The hard-hitting all-rounder felt that the WICB officials need to change their thinking and show a sense of pride for their players. Pollard, who will be playing for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), missed out of the T20 World Cup 2016 along with Sunil Narine, that their side won after beating England in the finals at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. He tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) on the right knee while playing for Cape Cobras during South Africa’s Ram Slam T20 last year. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiants , 1st T20 Match, Indian Premier League 2016 – IPL 9
He said he was happy and more than satisfied to see his team perform well in the World Cup of the shorter format. “I was very proud of how the boys played during the World Cup. I knew they were on a mission,” Pollard said. “Despite all the well-advertised problems, the senior guys rose to the occasion and for this tournament, no doubt the IPL experience in the team made a big difference”, he said. ALSO READ:IPL 2016 Schedule, Time Table, Fixture PDF Download
Meanwhile Pollard, who was also a special guest in the StarSports studio on the day of the final, stood firm with the opinion of his colleagues and said that they have faced enough. “Every ball of the semifinal and final I watched and Sammy’s statement touched my heart. We players have had enough, I believe I was victimized throughout 2015 and left out of the 50-over World Cup squad. That so-called task force the WICB set up said all three parties in players, WICB and WIPA shared equal blame for the India pull out – yet only myself and Bravo suffered”, said the 28-year old.
He continued by saying – “I know what the response will be. We’ll all be told that the financial consequences have affected funding for cricket at all levels in the Caribbean and, whilst smiling on one level, in hushed tones behind your back it’s said that Bravo and Pollard must pay for it. That’s what’s happening. But nobody for WICB or WIPA lost their jobs. There is no shared responsibility or ‘blame’. We as players stand by our actions and our reasons, but we are still open to communication and compromise.” ALSO READ: Jamaican sports minister insists WICB and players must find common ground
Pollard also said that this win was for all the West Indies fans and to answer critics that I had called them all sorts of names. “We have been called all sorts of names, money-grabbing cricketers and mercenaries. But our ambition to play for West Indies and help the team rise and brings smiles on the fans’ faces, as the guys showed in India, has always been there. However if you are dealing with a board who shows you no respect, what do you expect us players to do when we get offers to play around the world? Why can’t some of the board members lower their egos, if they can learn to compromise with us players we will too. It’s that simple.”
However, speaking on his injury that kept him out of the World Cup campaign, Pollard said that at times he thought it could be a career-ending one. “I had a very similar injury on my left knee in 2013 and during the rehabilitation at times, I wasn’t sure when I was going to come back” he said, as reported by cricbuzz.com. “The diagnosis was that recovery can be 6-9 months for many athletes. I had my surgery in December with Dr Freddie Fuu in Pittsburg, same as last time, and worked with the same physios as last time, so I was in familiar territory in terms of recovery and knew my body heals fast”, said the all-rounder. ALSO READ: Darren Sammy congratulated by Australia cricketers over stadium honour
He although didn’t want to risk his injury for the worse by coming back soon and said – “I want the fans to understand I tried my best to rush back in time for the World Cup at the three month juncture (February) because I wanted to play. But although mentally I was ready, coming back so soon would have risked my recovery. The long term effects of being reckless and coming back too soon and re-rupturing the ligaments are way too significant. That really is career-threatening. So I listened to the sound medical advice around me”, as quoted by cricbuzz.com.
After West Indies cliched their second T20 World Cup title, a lot of speculations have surrounded the Caribbean cricket fans and players about the fact that it could mean the death of Test cricket. Pollard cleared the air saying – “Of course there are cricketers that want to play Test cricket. Yes the WICB have implemented the Professional Cricket league (PCL) – but for anyone who observes our domestic cricket would know if you perform in that, it doesn’t guarantee you will make it in Tests or international level. What happens next, is the board going to implement more A-team tours which is very important? Or are we going to keep picking players from the PCL who aren’t ready and after throwing them into the deep – everybody comes down on them when they fail?”, he asked Pollard.
He also stressed on his own situation regarding Test matches. “I took an indefinite break from first-class cricket in 2015 as my body told me to. But also now seeing the confusing selector’s criteria for picking players in that format and the events in India which changed the Memorandum of Understanding/Collecting Bargaining Agreement (MOU/CBA) pay structure contracts for Tests, do I regret that decision? No. They (selectors) never selected me for Tests and I was labelled a one-day specialist without ever getting a chance to prove myself in the longer format. But injuring both ACLs now that would further hinder my ability to play the longer format even more so I’m pretty sure that horse has bolted now. As a boy growing up, the ambition was always to play Test cricket for West Indies. But considering all these things that I mentioned and the cricketing landscape that has changed so drastically since I was a boy, after a while one realises maybe that dream won’t become a reality,” he said.
