Kieron Pollard - the Annihilator to watch out for in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World T20 - Part 1 - Opinion
Meaty, muscular, and a brutal annihilator of bowling attacks all around the world is the best way to sum up http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760. He is a weapon, a phenomenon, and complete package for those who love the pocket sized version of the game. After
being fast tracked into the West Indies team since his heroics for Trinidad and Tobago, Pollard has made a significant mark in International T20 cricket for a team which oozes with talent.
He has pillaged runs from the opposition from nowhere and has an acute cricketing sense to back up that intent. His firm grip on the willow has meant that cricket balls have been deposited in gutters, sidewalks and even on roof tops of stadiums, ranging
from the Queens Park Oval to the Wankhede. The West Indies are certainly pleased to have him in their lineup, as his penchant for big hitting has made him a crowd puller in a part of the world where cricket is considered as symphonic as Reggae music.
The tunes of Bob Marley may not be analogous to the sound of willow hitting leather from Pollard’s bat, but his impact is felt more than his compulsive hitting ability. He is not only a compulsive basher, but a unifying force for a team that has lost its
past glory. In a lean period for West Indies cricket, Pollard has stood out as a senior statesman, regardless of his occasional failings with the bat or ball. Not many could envision the prospect of a batsman pulling deliveries bowled at 150 Km/http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Hugh-Morris-c63550 for sixes
on bone hard wickets. Even fewer could imagine players hitting deliveries which are turning away from the bat, over long on for six. Pollard has done it all as he combines chutzpah with flare, and has managed to play some of the most bizarre strokes with ease.
It borders on the preposterous according to some conformists, who openly castigate the T20 format. Yet the adventurists would consider Pollard’s match winning feats as an acceptable norm in a game that has evolved significantly. His exploits have come in days
when Chris Gayle’s mega hitting has decimated some of the thriftiest bowlers in world cricket. For the West Indies to have both these players in their T20 line up, ominous signs loom high for other countries contesting the 2012 World T20.
Dynamic is actually the best way to sum up Kieron Pollard’s approach towards the game. He languishes in the lower middle order of the West Indian line up, yet in recent times, he has been promoted in order for his team to truly realize his innate potential,
and have it materialize on the field. His slow medium pacers are top stock deliveries, and stand in stark contrast to his muscular built. It could be easy to confuse Kieron Pollard for being a fast bowler rather than a part timer, if one hasn’t witnessed him
play regularly. The truth is that Pollard’s impressive medium pace is as dangerous as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KAJ-Roach-c1758 running in and deploying missiles with sheer ferocity. With 38 wickets in 63 games as a non regular bowler, Pollard has truly pulled off quite an achievement
with the ball.
Yet what would forever be associated with this magnificent player would be his flamboyant batting and lust for power hitting. Pollard, like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755, fails to curb his urge of going berserk, yet unlike Afridi, only resorts to a ‘Blitzkrieg’
mode when his team needs it the most. As a result, astonishing performances have come Pollard’s way.
Continued in Part 2...
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