Kieron Pollard, one of the most sought after players in International T20 cricket, landed in Barbados yesterday looking forward to the challenge of leading the Barbados Tridents to a successful showing in the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premiere League (CPL) T20 competition.
Pollard, who would have come to prominence during the Stanford 20/20, seemed upbeat and confident even after a disappointing West Indies series against Pakistan.
“The position that the Barbadians have put me in, I have no choice but to dig deep and perform to win their hearts,” he said.
“Captaining the Barbados Tridents is a challenge that I look forward to since challenges are part and parcel of being an international cricketer and challenges are things that we as cricketers look forward to. I am looking forward to it and, hopefully, the Tridents can go out there and give a good account to make our fans proud of us.
“I’ll try my best to give the local and regional fans something special. Getting the opportunities to play in leagues around the world has been fantastic but getting the opportunity to play in a Caribbean Premier League which is part of our own culture is absolutely fantastic as well.
“I am hoping that not only the Tridents, but all of the players would gel together as quickly as possible to give a good account of ourselves and to show the world how the Caribbean plays cricket.”
The hard-hitting all-rounder Pollard is one of six franchise captains, but stirred some controversy in being selected to lead the Barbados team ahead of some of the local inclusions.
However, Barbados’ only living National?Hero Sir Garfield Sobers has supported Pollard in leading the Tridents.
Similarly, coach Desmond Haynes has backed Pollard leading the Tridents as his international reputation and performances would motivate the other players.
“Often, we in the Caribbean have a problem when the West Indies team is selected because we believe that someone from our country should have been chosen.
“This CPL will give the fans the chance to appreciate and support players from other countries performing for the team that you want to succeed. Some persons are criticizing Pollard leading the Tridents, but they seem unaware that Gordon Greenidge is coaching Trinidad and Tobago’s Red [Steel],”said Haynes.
When questioned about the expected big clash against his homeland, Pollard replied: “The good thing is that I would have played against my country Trinidad and Tobago before in the Champions League, so the Tridents versus Red Steel on Saturday will prove to be motivation since we will be coming up against players that we know their strengths and weaknesses.
“We look forward to the challenge, and at the end of the day, we all are here to not just play cricket, but hard cricket. I am very excited about the CPL.
“We are coming off of a disappointing tour and, hopefully, we can put that behind us and show that world that the Caribbean can put on a great show,” Pollard said.
