The year of the GOAT
Is it time for Kieron Pollard to move up the batting order?
It’s game 17 of CPL 2020 and Trinbago Knight Riders are chasing 149 to beat Barbados Tridents. TKR openers have struggle to give them the start required and the team is struggling at 62-5 in 12.4 overs. With 87 required of just 44 balls and facing a Barbados attack that included the likes of Mitchell Santner, Jason Holder and Rashid Khan the odds seem stacked against the Knight Riders.
However out comes captain Pollard in his trademark floppy hat. He readies himself to face Hayden Walsh Jr who is into his third over and only conceded 12 runs for one wicket. With utter disdain Pollard promptly launches Walsh Jr’s first ball out of the park over deep midwicket and with that the onslaught begins.
Game 10 of IPL 2020 and the Mumbai Indians are chasing 202 to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore. When Pollard walked in Mumbai needed 124 runs from 52. With young Ishan Kishan as a partner, Pollard initially consolidated before entering the final four overs with 80 runs needed.
Taking hold of Zampa’s leg spin Pollard hit him for 27 runs in the over reaching his half century in just 20 balls. With 19 required from final over, Pollard pulled the last ball between deep square and deep mid-wicket to level the score and force a super over.
However, the question on both the occasions was whether it was left too late for Pollard to come in and rescue/finish the game.
Given his destructive hitting should Pollard be given more time in the middle to handle these situations?
Pollard has been fairly successful in the various franchise leagues around the world. Below I have included his fifties from BBL (Big Bash League), IPL (Indian Premier League), CPL (Caribbean Premier League) and BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) here.
There are 30 such instances across the tournaments over the years. 16 of those innings are the first innings of a match when his team is trying to set a target. On only two occasions has he come to the crease with 50 or less balls left in an inning. His strike rate in each of those innings is greater than 200 with one resulting into a team win. However, the number turns different when he has more than 50 balls to play. His team has come out successful 11 out of 14 times there. (78.5% success ratio)
There are 14 instances when Pollard scored more than 50 while chasing, but only four times has he come to the crease when less than 50 balls were left in an inning. His win percentage in those 14 instances stands at 50. He has scored 35% or more of his team’s total on 10 of those occasions.
The evidence clearly show that he has a better chance of scoring well if given more than 50 balls in a match. His game plan involves him seeing off good bowlers and then cashing in against those he is comfortable against.
In his recent encounter against Barbados Tridents, he made sure not to give away his wicket to Rashid Khan even though the required run-rate was increasing with every over. He backed his abilities to score against lesser bowlers.
66 were required from final four overs. He launched an attack on Hayden Walsh by scoring 25 off his over. Added to this, Pollard strikes fear into opposition captains. Barbados Tridents would have liked to keep one of Rashid Khan’s over to the final four but such was the desire to get Pollard early he was brought on before that. Provided Pollard sees dangerous bowlers out he then gives a chance to others in his team to also attack in final overs.
Moving forward no matter the franchise Pollard plays for, anytime a wicket falls in a match with 10-11 overs left, he should be coming in to give him a bit of time to settle against good bowlers and make hay against others.
In the recently concluded series against New Zealand it was good to see Pollard face more balls. In a rail curtailed first T20 match, he came out as early as the fifth over, albeit due to the collapse from the top order, but that allowed him to help West Indies post a decent enough total of 180 from the available 16 overs.
The next test for West Indies will be Bangladesh, a tour that will provide conditions more akin to India for the next T20 World Cup. It should represent a clear opportunity for West Indies to move Pollard higher up the order to face more balls and attack the opposition. The potential this creates for him to be a regular match winner is one that cannot be overlooked any more.
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