WI vs SL | Nice to have different guys step up and win games for us, credits Kieron Pollard
Following an emphatic series win over Sri Lanka, Kieron Pollard credited the series win as a team effort, insisting that it was nice to have different guys step up as match-winners. He also admitted that bowling in the death is something that they have to look at, with their bowling variations.
Every time West Indies were put under the pump, there was one individual or the other who stepped up and left an indelible mark on the team’s victory. It wasn’t just that, even skipper Kieron Pollard led the side from the front, both with his golden arm and playing as the finisher in this ODI setup. At the top, Shai Hope continued his form alongside Darren Bravo, with the duo etching a match-winning partnership on the night for the West Indies.Â
A visibly happy Kieron Pollard credited the series win to individuals, adding that the guys have come out and perform very well under the pressure. He also added that every single time the team has lacked some runs, individuals have scored centuries, which has aided the win. However, a room for improvement, in Pollard’s words, is in the bowling department, where he claimed that they could probably look at improving their death-overs bowling.Â
“The guys have worked hard, stuck their neck up to come out and perform everytime. It's nice to have different guys making hundreds, but this is a team effort - bowling variations, especially at the death, is something that's important, and we need to work on that. We need to use our home advantage, we're accustomed to be playing in these conditions,” said Pollard in the post-match presentation, reported Cricbuzz.Â
Having won the T20I series, with the thinnest of margins, Pollard stated that the belief in the camp was that they could chase it down.Â
“It's been hard work, we knew what we wanted to do - the guys at the top have done a fantastic job and allowed the middle-order to come into the game. Can't think about that, they were upset that they couldn't bat first on this wicket (on choosing to bowl today). But we knew if we took early wickets, we could restrict them to a low score and chase it down,” he added.
With West Indies having wrapped up the limited-overs series, the focus would now shift to the two-match Test series, where they would be led by Kraig Brathwaite, with the opener replacing Jason Holder as the leader of the unit. Pollard wished them luck and hoped that Windies would continue their winning ways.
“It's important to work hard and improve, keep playing the way we're doing now. Wishing Kraigg Brathwaite all the best, needs the team management to back him - Jason has been fantastic as well, the team needs to rally around each other and continue winning.”