T20 World Cup: England are apparently looking to bring in former West Indies cricketer Kieron Pollard as their consultant for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, happening in the Caribbean and the USA from June 4-30.
England are the defending champions ahead of the mega event in the shortest format and had brought former Australia batter Mike Hussey in the same role during their title triumph in 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup.
“Pollard, who is 36 and remains an active player, has enjoyed an extraordinary T20 career, winning five Indian Premier League titles and the 2012 T20 World Cup. He is the most experienced player in T20 history, playing 637 matches in the format and is renowned as one of the shrewdest thinkers in the game.”
“Pollard also brings intimate knowledge of conditions in West Indies. The Trinidadian will help England to assess the pitches in the T20 World Cup, which begins on June 4,” said a report in The Telegraph on Saturday.
During England’s woeful ODI World Cup defence in India, where they failed to reach the semi-finals, they did not hire any former cricketer from the country as a consultant. Rob Key, the managing director, later blamed himself for not appointing such a figure for the mega event.
The report added that Pollard, who won 2012 T20 World Cup with the West Indies, was seen in the England team hotel in Trinidad in recent days as the visitors’ played the final two matches of their five-game T20I series against the hosts’, which they lost 3-2.
Pollard had also shared the dressing room with current captain Jos Buttler in Somerset during 2010-11 seasons and at Mumbai Indians in the 2016-17 seasons with the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Pollard has won five IPL trophies with Mumbai Indians and though has retired from the IPL and become the batting coach of the franchise, he is still actively playing in some franchise T20 leagues.
“Pollard’s involvement with England is initially expected to be just for the T20 World Cup. But if the partnership proves fruitful, he might yet be enlisted to work with the side again in the future,” added the report.