Kieron Pollard
This young 19-year-old batsman from Trinidad and Tobago has been making a name for himself recently. He hit his maiden first class hundred on debut earlier this month against Barbados in the Carib Beer Series. The stunning innings of 126 off 150 balls was filled with 11 fours and 7 sixes. By all accounts, it was a sensational innnings that took a remarkable catch on the boundary to end. He followed that innings with 71 off 31 balls against Guyana on January 15 in the Carib Beer Series. Then two days later again against Guyana, this time in the one-day KFC Cup, he smashed 87 off 58 balls which included 6 fours and 7 sixes. The question remains however, is he the next Viv Richards? Or the next Ricardo Powell?
I have nothing against Ricardo Powell. In fact, I am a strong believer in his talent and was one who hoped that he would have been a prolific batsman in the West Indies line up. But he has simply failed to live up to his vast promise and potential. Is what we are seeing right now from Pollard the same flash in the pan we saw in 1999 from Ricardo Powell, when he gained a place in that year's World Cup side? I, for one, certainly hope not.
Ricardo Powell, if you will recall, was the talk of West Indies cricket in 1999. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in the World Cup of that year against Pakistan and later made a belligerent 124 in an ODI against India in September of '99. That innings included 8 sixes, a record for a West Indian in an ODI. Possibly more stunning than that innings, however, is the fact that over 7 years later that innings remains his only century in ODI or Test cricket.
It's one thing to be able to smash the ball authoritatively. It's another to be able to do that while playing each ball on it's merit. Richards was able to do both and that is why the "Master Blaster" not only has the fastest Test century of all time, but also had a Test average of 50.23. Powell could only do the former and subsequently found Test bowling to be out of his league. Here's hoping that Pollard learns to do the latter as well.
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Sat, 20/01/2007 - 2:57am
I recall being an impressionable 15 year old, and hearing my high school coach singing very rare praises of Ricardo Powell in 1999. Coach was very sparing with his praise for anybody and so it was particularly telling for me that he was so inhibited in his praise of Powell. This just goes to show that success in cricket is never guaranteed. Ironically, coach preached the necessity to 'play straight' and that has always been the biggest inability on the part of Powell.
Tue, 23/01/2007 - 1:01am
Pollard smashes 117 from 87 deliveries including 11 fours and 6 sixes in the third round of the Carib Beer Series.
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