Former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard has expressed disappointment at the side’s unceremonious exit from the T20 World Cup, but believes it adds perspective to the criticism leveled at the unit he led a year ago.
Pollard captained the team in the previous edition of the tournament, which ended in a similarly disastrous fashion. However, on that occasion, the team, which consisted of 30-year-old veterans Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Andre Russell and 40-year-old Chris Gayle, was criticized for being too old.
Pollard, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, however, believes the sub-par display in this year’s tournament should also serve as a cautionary tale for selecting teams with too little experience.
“We have a new captain, we have new players, guys who have only played a handful of T20 cricket and now they are in the World Cup. When I look back on it, I sit back and have a smile on my face because I remember some of the things we said last year, this time when some individuals weren’t selected,” Pollard told Trinidad and Tobago radio.
I just had to remind these people that there was a World Cup we were going to and another bilateral series. Now some of these individuals have a chance to play in the World Cup and again look what happened. It’s not their fault,” Pollard added.
“When we tried to protect them and let people know that they weren’t ready and we got criticized for that. There were a lot of things that were said that we’re too condescending at times. It’s a sad day for cricket of the West Indies and all. us.”
