To strengthen the team’s batting line-up, the England and Wales Cricket Board has appointed former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard as a member of the England cricket team’s coaching panel ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
England are the defending champions of the tournament and defeated Pakistan to lift the trophy in 2022. The ECB issued a press release and informed about the development.
In the press release, the ECB stated that it has engaged the services of the legendary West Indies cricketer as he will provide the much-needed experience on the local conditions in the Caribbean in the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be of great benefit. help for The England directed by Jos Buttler.
Kieron Pollard appointed England assistant coach
The press release read: “Kieron Pollard, who played 101 IT20s for the West Indies, will join England for the T20 World Cup. “Former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard has been named to the England men’s coaching squad for next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the United States.”
“Pollard will join the England men’s team specifically for the T20 World Cup as an assistant coach and to provide experience in local conditions. “Pollard was part of West Indies’ Men’s T20 World Cup success in 2012 and has extensive experience in the format, having played over 600 matches.”
England did not have a good outing during the 2023 ODI World Cup and were eliminated from the round-robin stage of the tournament. England could only win three matches in the entire tournament and finished in seventh place. England had the worst defense of the ODI World Cup title and will look to bounce back in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Coming back to Kieron Pollard, he was part of the Mumbai Indians coaching staff during the 2023 Indian Premier League and has coaching experience.
Kieron Pollard has played T20 cricket almost everywhere in the world and has played 101 T20I matches for the West Indies in which he scored 1569 runs at a strike rate of 135.18. He is one of the two batsmen to hit six sixes in the format.
Kieron Pollard also led Trinidad and Tobago to a victory in the 2020 Caribbean Premier League and was also part of the IPL team Mumbai Indians and won five titles with them.
Coming back to England’s performance after the 2023 ODI World Cup, the Jos Buttler-led team did not have a memorable outing in the Caribbean Islands as they ended up losing both white-ball series.
The English team lost the first two matches of the T20I series, while it was Phil Salt’s centuries that marked England’s comeback in the next two matches. However, the Windies were able to register a win in the fifth match which also helped them clinch the series.
The English cricket team won its first T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2009 under Paul Collingwood and, with the tournament returning to the West Indies in 2024, the English team will want to repeat the feat.