"The experienced guys have not done well" - Kieron Pollard takes on responsibility after West Indies crash out of T20 World Cup 2021
West Indies captain Kieron Pollard stated that the senior players in the side can’t hide from the responsibility of the poor showing in the T20 World Cup. He revealed that the dismal run of performances certainly hurt the players in the dressing room.
The defending champions came into the tournament boasting the most T20 experience amongst all sides. However, it did not come to their rescue as the West Indies crashed out of the tournament after losing three out of their first four Super 12 matches.
Speaking after the match against Sri Lanka on Thursday, Kieron Pollard said that the experienced players did not render enough support to the youngsters.
“A couple of young guys are putting up their hands (up) but the experienced guys, myself included, have not done well. We are not going to hide from the fact that it's been disappointing for us. I'm sure all the guys are hurting in that dressing room. It's something we didn't see it coming but we have to face reality,” Kieron Pollard said.
None of the experienced players in the squad could put in a noticeable performance over the four matches. Kieron Pollard (46 runs), Chris Gayle (30 runs), Lendl Simmons (19 runs) and Andre Russell (7 runs) struggled to fire with the bat. Bowling all-rounder Dwayne Bravo could claim just two wickets in four matches.
Hetmyer scored a brilliant half century despite the result. A brave knock.👏🏿
#WIvSL #MissionMaroon #T20WorldCup https://t.co/IBIkyrVVfO
Check out who is at the top of the points table of ICC T20 World Cup here.
"Cricket smarts is something that has plagued us" - Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard reflected that cricketing smartness was found wanting by his players during the tournament. He revealed that specific roles were assigned to individual players, but it wasn’t quite fulfilled.
“I think cricket smarts is something that has plagued us. We have spoken time and time again, especially from a batting perspective what we need to do as individuals and we have not done well.”
Pollard went on to admit that West Indies put in a below-par performance against Sri Lanka in a must-win encounter on Thursday.
“I think we were below par. In a crucial match like this, you don't want to see those things (for fielding). Our bowlers did okay, they got 189 but it was a very good batting track.”
A high speed chase comes to an end for us.😔 We'll played to @OfficialSLC 👏🏿
#WIvSL #MissionMaroon #T20WorldCup https://t.co/1rESWYhNrD
After winning the toss and putting Sri Lanka into bat, West Indies were presented with a daunting target of 190 runs. They managed just 169/8 in reply, courtesy of a half-century by Shimron Hetmyer and a 46 by Nicholas Pooran.