Kieron Pollard Creates History
Legendary West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard entered his name in the history books on Saturday (August 30) by becoming the second cricketer in the world to score 14,000 runs in T20s. The 38-year-old all-rounder needed 19 runs on Saturday to complete 14,000 runs in T20s and join Chris Gayle in the elite list, and he achieved the objective by remaining unbeaten on 19 runs from nine balls for Trinbago Knight Riders in the 16th league match of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025 against Barbados Royals at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. Gayle finished his T20 career with 14,562 runs in 463 matches, whereas Pollard has 14,000 runs to his name in 712 matches. Kieron Pollard created a world record and he became the first player in the world to score 14000 runs and scalp 300 wickets in T20 cricket. Only one batsman – Chris Gayle – has managed to score more than 14000 runs in the shortest format. There are many bowlers with more than 300 wickets, but only Pollard has 14000 runs as well. The former West Indies T20I captain has 14000 runs and 332 wickets in 712 T20s he has played so far. Pollard played 101 T20Is before giving up international cricket. Gayle, T20 cricket’s highest run-scorer, has 14562 runs in the format. His tally includes 22 centuries and 88 fifties. Pollard is only 563 runs away from overtaking him and he can become the T20 cricket’s highest run-scorer in the next couple of years. Rashid Khan tops the wicket-taking list in T20s. The Afghanistan leg-spinner has 661 wickets in 488 matches. He can become the first bowler in the world to scalp 1000 T20 wickets. He is followed by Dwayne Bravo, who has dismissed 631 wickets. With 590 wickets, Sunil Narine sits in the third position. Throughout his T20 career spanning from 2006 to 2025, Pollard has represented 19 different teams, including the West Indies national team. His impressive statistics include one century and 64 half-centuries in the format, along with 876 fours and 942 sixes. In international cricket, Pollard scored 1,569 runs in 101 T20Is for the West Indies. His Indian Premier League career with Mumbai Indians has been particularly noteworthy, amassing 3,412 runs in 189 matches. Pollard’s contribution to T20 cricket extends beyond batting, as he has claimed 332 wickets as a bowler, making him one of the most versatile players in the format. His all-round capabilities have been displayed across various T20 leagues worldwide, including the Big Bash League and The Hundred.
IPL to Blame? Brian Lara makes a huge comment on the West Indies’ batting disaster
Former West Indies cricketer Brian Lara, on Tuesday, took a veiled swipe at the Indian Premier League (IPL) and other T-20 franchise leagues, blaming the tournament for the dismal bating performance of West Indies in the third Test match against Australia, where the home team was dismissed for just 27 runs – the second-lowest total in a Test innings in history was just one run more than New Zealands 26 all out against England in 1955. In the wake of the horrendous batting display, Lara, speaking on the cricket podcast ‘Stick To Cricket’, indirectly blamed the IPL and other T20 franchise leagues for the decline of West Indies cricket. He claimed that players tend to use the national team as a stage to garner attention from T-20 leagues, as opposed to the culture back in his days, when cricketers used to rise through the ranks by playing domestic cricket and county cricket before earning an international debut. Meanwhile, former England cricketer David Lyod has blamed the top three cricket-playing countries, India, Australia, and England. Lyod said, “The big three, they take all the money. They get the big broadcast deals. You need to have a more even distribution to allow West Indies, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka to participate in the deal.” Former West Indies captain Carl Hooper, speaking on ABC Cricket, Hooper said he thinks a few heads should roll for these decisions. “They have made some wholesale changes, massive changes, that I think were not needed. … To make wholesale changes and then get results like this, Cricket West Indies have got to hold up their hands and be held accountable.”
