Antigua - An angry Kieron Pollard has hit back at the West Indies
Cricket Board after the chairperson of selectors Courtney Browne told him he
lacked commitment to batting.
Pollard admits that he had a poor run against Pakistan in
the UAE but pointed out that he came in under difficult circumstances in each
of the T20Is.
The big all-rounder said: “So, not because of my on field
catching, my energy on the field, my bowling returns or my advice to the
captain but because of my (lack of) commitment to batting.”
In his defence Pollard pointed out that he was unable to
play his natural game because of the match situations.
Pollard went on: “I painted all the scenarios, coming in to
bat in the T20s at 25-5, then 70-5 and then again seventy something for 5. If I
played my natural game and got catch out on the boundary, people will say I am
irresponsible.
“So I cannot agree with the chairperson of the selectors that there was a lack of batting commitment.”
The Trinidadian expressed shock at the decision to drop
Denesh Ramdin: “Perhaps this was the one that shocked most people, when Ramdin,
who scored two totals of thirty odd was also dropped and was told that it was
his commitment to wicket keeping that was the problem, he was not cheering on
the team enough, (not) giving them encouragement.”
Pollard believes that somebody in the WICB has a vendetta
against Trinidad and Tobago saying: “We have heard what has been said by well-respected
persons about some at the West Indies Cricket Board and their feelings on
Trinidad and Tobago.”
Among those targeted, he feels, was former coach Phil
Simmons who got axed on the eve of the tour: “There is no doubt the sacking of
the coach affected the team.
"Phil Simmons was more involved in man management. He
was someone the players could go to for any matters personal or otherwise.
"There was a trust and he could and was willing to give
you a different perspective and it helped many players with both the mental and
technical aspect of their games. Players are human and therefore who can the
players turn to for the tour.
"Honestly nobody seemed to know who was in charge. One
day we asked for the training schedule and the answer came from the physio. The
next day, we asked for other information and it came from the media manager.
"It was a lot of bits and pieces and sometimes you ask questions
to management and you did not get an answer. We cannot fault the two coaches
Springer and Estwick. They are probably on tour by tour contracts and really
would not be in a strong position to say anything."
The 29-year-old has indicated that the West Indies are being
split apart by forces in the game's administration.
Pollard added: “When I first came into West Indies cricket
around 2006/7, there was this idea of persons from different countries but that
changed over the years with T20 cricket, IPL, CPL and other tournaments around the world.
"Everyone began to better appreciate everyone else, so
you would meet up Sammy, meet up Gayle, meet up others and you build a bond on
the outside, so now when you come back to play for West Indies it is a great
togetherness.
"There is no more of that but it is starting to come
back and we all are seeing where it is coming from. It is happening from the
top of West Indies cricket.”
The dynamic T20 star lifted the lid on the Windies dressing room, indicating morale is very low: “As to team meetings, it was appalling, players were just there and sitting down and nothing was being said because guys were afraid to voice their opinion based on what was going on, that you could lose your place.
"This is not good for the team going forward. Instead of thinking about winning, players were thinking about stats, being 30 or 40 not out and not trying to win matches but this can be expected, when the selectors make these comments about your average.”