Kieron Pollard ruled out of West Indies tour of Pakistan due to injury
West Indies limited-overs captain Kieron Pollard has been ruled out of the upcoming tour of Pakistan. Cricket West Indies have confirmed that Pollard is yet to recover from a hamstring strain he sustained during the T20 World Cup 2021.
Kieron Pollard is the latest addition to the list of white-ball specialists who will miss out on the tour of the sub-continent. While Jason Holder was rested, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer and Andre Russell opted out of the tour due to personal reasons.
CWI confirmed in a media release that Nicholas Pooran and Shai Hope will lead the side in the T20Is and ODIs respectively.
“West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming tour of Pakistan as the hamstring injury he sustained in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has unfortunately not recovered in time. With Pollard ruled out, Nicholas Pooran will lead the team in the T20Is. Shai Hope will captain the team in the ODIs for the first time,” CWI stated in the press release.
Nicholas Pooran was the stand-in captain when the West Indies defeated Australia in the T20I series at home earlier this year.
All-rounder Rovman Powell and experienced batter Devon Thomas have been named as Kieron Pollard’s replacements in the T20I and ODI squads respectively.
West Indies will play three T20Is and three ODIs in Pakistan
West Indies will commence the tour with a three-match T20I series, which will be followed by three One-Day Internationals. All the matches are scheduled to be played at the Karachi National Stadium.
The ODI series will be part of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League. West Indies are currently in the 8th position in the league, while hosts Pakistan are in the 7th position.
The top seven sides from the Super League will qualify directly for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 hosted by India.