Kieron Pollard named England's assistant coach for T20 World Cup
West Indies star Kieron Pollard has been named as England's assistant coach for the upcoming Men's ICC T20 World Cup scheduled in the West Indies and United States of America. Pollard played for the West Indies in 101 T20Is. He was also a part of the WI's T20 World Cup-winning side in 2012. He has retired from international cricket but plays in franchise leagues.
Why does this story matter?
England would enter the 2024 T20 World Cup as the defending champions. They beat Pakistan in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last year. However, England fared poorly in the 50-over World Cup in India, having finished seventh. According to ESPNcricinfo, the objective of Pollard's appointment as their assistant coach is "to provide the expertise of local conditions".
Pollard retired from internationals in 2022
Pollard retired from international cricket in April last year. In a career that spanned over a decade, the hard-hitting all-rounder played 123 ODIs and 101 T20Is. Pollard scored 2,706 ODI runs at 26.01 (three centuries and 13 fifties). Pollard has also scalped 55 wickets in this format. He tallied 1,569 T20I runs at a strike rate of 135.14 (42 wickets).
Over 12,000 runs in T20s
Last year, Pollard became the first-ever cricketer to feature in 600 T20 matches. The 36-year-old achieved the milestone in The Hundred. Pollard made his T20 debut in July 2006 for Trinidad and Tobago in Stanford 20/20. He is the third-highest run-scorer in T20 cricket, having slammed 12,390 runs at a strike rate of 150.58. Pollard is only behind Shoaib Malik and Chris Gayle.
His stats in IPL and CPL
Pollard represented only one franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He played for Mumbai Indians (MI) in 13 seasons (2010-2022). He slammed 3,412 runs from 189 matches at a strike rate of 147.32 in the cash-rich league. The tally includes 69 wickets. In the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Pollard has registered 2,574 runs and 56 wickets.
Pollard's leadership; batting coach of MI
Pollard is also known for his leadership, having led MI sporadically in the IPL. He led Trinbago Knight Riders to the CPL 2023 final. Notably, Pollard is currently the batting coach of MI in the IPL.
