Even at 38, Kieron Pollard continues to wreak havoc, and after a recent 65 off 29 balls with eight sixes, he has now outdone himself with another explosive fifty.
Though his international career ended years ago and he is now the batting coach in the IPL, Pollard still shows the fire of a middle-order batter. In the current Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the veteran all-rounder delivered yet another stormy innings, surpassing his previous performances.
On Sunday morning Bangladesh time, representing Trinbago Knight Riders against Guyana Amazon Warriors, Pollard remained unbeaten on 54 off just 18 balls. His innings included five sixes and as many fours, reaching his fifty in only 17 balls.
This marks Pollard’s fastest fifty in 13 CPL seasons, beating last year’s 19-ball effort against Saint Lucia Kings. While he has scored even quicker fifties in other tournaments—14 balls for Trinidad and Tobago in 2012, 17 balls for Mumbai Indians in the 2021 IPL, and 18 balls in the 2009 Champions League—this innings proves that he can still shine at dusk of his career.
Trinbago struggled before Pollard came to the crease. Darren Bravo, dismissed for 33 off 35 balls, left the team at 95 in the 16th over. Casey Carter, scoring 29 off 34, retired hurt. Pollard’s arrival turned the game around.
Even when reaching fifty seemed distant—with 34 runs at the start of the final over and not on strike initially—Pollard struck two sixes off consecutive balls and then hit a boundary to reach the milestone. He didn’t stop there, hitting another boundary to finish the over with 20 runs.
In this CPL season, Pollard has already scored three fifties in just eight innings. Before this 54 off 18 balls, he had 65 off 29 balls last Monday, and another 65 off 29 in a previous innings. He now has 291 runs at an average of 72.75 and a strike rate of 185.35, ranking fourth in total runs while holding the highest strike rate among batsmen with at least 130 runs in the tournament.
Thanks to Pollard, Trinbago scored 67 runs in the last four overs, finishing with 167 in 20 overs. However, Guyana chased it down, winning by three wickets. Shane Hope scored 53 off 46, Shimron Hetmyer 49 off 30, and Dwayne Pretorius added an unbeaten 26 off 14 to seal the victory with one ball remaining. Pollard even bowled the final over, conceding only nine runs while Pretorius hit a six to finish the match.
