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ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) — Captain Kieron Pollard has urged young West Indies players to think bigger than the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and believes the region needs another Twenty20 (T20) tournament in order to properly develop the next generation.

Speaking in the wake of the Caribbean side's failed campaign at the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup here, Pollard stressed the value of raising performance standards and said playing in other global T20 tournaments allowed players to further enhance their skills.

“For me personally, [I would] just tell them (young players) that CPL is not the be-all and end-all. There's a lot of higher, better, sort of cricket around the world. And, as individuals we need to lift our standards and not settle and be contented,” Pollard said.

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Can Pollard have a role in getting other players into these other professional leagues?

Can he help revitalize say, GT20 and get it back off the ground? Does he have any pull with the Abu Dhabi folks?

This is an interesting take from Pollard. Would more t20s create better players? We just had a world cup with the most experienced team but they got us nowhere, why would other players playing more games have the opposite effect?

The problems appear much deeper than pollard can grasp

In reply to conman


Pollard is clueless as his captaincy and selections indicated.

One of the reasons that CWI promising players play T20 worldwide maybe it can help develop their skills. CWI cannot.

The impression from these comments, which may not be intended, is that WI failure was a function of young players unable to step up. But given the main players in the side were Elvin Lewis, Simmons, Pooran, Hetmyer, Pollard, Russell, Holder, Bravo, Rampaul (9) players, the others with limited experience were Hosein, Walsh, McKoy, and Chase. Seems therefore that this does not compute.

How does our team experience compare with Sri Lanka and Pakistan???

It seems having fought the line of the necessity of the experienced players, he is not able to accept that the main issue for WI is that we failed to build on our youth.

First of all these young players can’t just show up in IPL or Canada and demand a game.
Secondly, Polly realises that CPL contract disallows a rival regional tournament?

It is truly amazing how Pollard has allyuh debating irrelevant stuff.He does not want a debate about the disastrous policies he along with the selectors wreaked on WI cricket so he creates a smoke screen of a solution and like a moth to a flame you guys have gone down the rabbit hole of idiotic debate.I wish Pollard was more of a Pied Piper in getting others to perform so we could uphold the proud traditions of WI cricket, instead his Pied Piper skills seem to be only in getting people distracted with mindless nonsense.

I am also listening to Champyun Bravo speak eloquently out both sides of his mouth.When he led the St. Kitts Patriots he was fulsome in his praise for Rutherford, saying that he was just as good as Pooran and Hetmyer who he recently claimed were the future of WI batsmanship.He is now quoted as saying that Odean Smith,Romario Shepherd and Dominik Drakes are worthy replacements for him.
This is the same chap who was advocating incessantly for Gayle to be included when that obviously meant that Rutherford would have to be left out.I am sure he would not have been pleased if any of those 3 "worthy replacements" were selected ahead of Rampaul.
With such ability I expect Bravo to do well in politics if he desires to take up that line of work.

PURE COMEDY

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

Yeah we need to invest in more cow lashing at the expense of proper cricket.

Our next generation will be thankful to Pollard when they all become successful globetrotters ...

In reply to Tryangle
what nonsense is that Pollard can't get no body in league if they are not good enough the CPL have had the lowest standard among all major leagues our players repeatedly embarrass themselves ON TV when CPL comes around one thing is very evident to me is that our cricketers shows the least amount cricketing intelligence of all country playing

In reply to Kay

How much is CWI paying to develop T20 players? CWI has any T20 tourneys?

Polly was categorized by the powers that be to be a T20 player/ODI.
Was he given an opportunity to play test Cricket?

H&H , plus Cameron kicked out all the senior players for a number of years.

He didn't play cricket due to a leg injury for approx. 18 months...did CWI pay him during that period?

Some were lucky to find employment elsewhere. Did you call them mercenaries?

Man so shut ya stupid rass nah, you just braying?

In reply to sgtdjones
Did CWI not sold the T20 rights?

In reply to armchair

He is on point and its the same thing many of us has been saying for years.
Check the top averages in the CPL its going to be Pollard, Lewis, Simmons, Gayle, Darren Bravo, Hetymer, Pooran, Charles and Fletcher.
Its only this season we had Chase and Rutherford standing out who haven't been in or around the WI T20 set up.
One or two bowlers may have stepped up recently but generally the star performers are the same guys who always gets selected.

The other guys in the CPL are the same guys who plays every year except for a few of the youth players who teams are required to select. In all the years of the CPL how many 'stars' have come along?

Look at the records in the CPL:
Most runs.
Highest batting averages.
Most wickets.
Lowest bowling average

How are we supposed to find the next Badree or Santokie?

In reply to bird

But Snoops say CPL and all other T20 leagues ahead of IPL.

In reply to Andy99


The lack of west indians at the top of those stats is disheartening

<snip>

I don’t believe is more T20 we need but rather more cricket. We don’t have good test players, ODI players or T20 players, now that our greats are on their way out. Apart from Trinidad and Barbados that are producing decent cricketers, the other four territories like Guyana, Jamaica, Leewards and Windwards are not producing. Do they still have good club cricket? A small island like Antigua at one time had 3- 4 quality players on the team and still had a couple good ones knocking. Now we aren’t getting anything from them. So we need to get cricket back in the Caribbean and I bet you once get cricket back we will produce good Test cricketers, good ODI players and good T20 players

In reply to openning

I noted above the H&H regime sold the T20 rights for over a hundred years.

We criticize when the majority of our test players are from Barbados and majority of T20 players are from Trinidad. But seems like these two islands are doing something that the rest of the islands are not doing. We need to ask ourselves how healthy is the game of cricket in islands like Antigua, Jamaica, Guyana, Dominica, St Vincent and Nevis? These are the islands that use to produce good cricketers and the last 15 yrs we are not getting anything from them. How healthy is the game of cricket in those islands? I wish we would stop attacking each other and instead tell us about the health of cricket in those islands because if the game is unhealthy in those islands don’t expect us to have a strong West Indies team, no matter what version of cricket we are involved in

If we looking at more T20 tournaments to develop T20 cricketers God help WI cricket. That's the fus sign that Pollard has no clue about what he speaks.

A load of nonsense.What another T2O tournament?...the man if off his head.

In reply to Sylobaby
This has nothing to do with bias and insularity fool.Windies is an AGEING TEAM.The last game against Australia says it all.

I think what Pollard meant is that they need to develop a geriatric seniors league so that the aging geriatrics wont be tempted to clog up spots in the team for these sorts of tournaments that prohibit the development of young players. He may be on to something....

Pullhard have the gull to open his big mouth about young guys when he signed for a bunch of old grandfather like Gayle and Rampaul to go to the t20 wc over some promising young guys. Pullhard please speak of how you dragg west indies cricket to it's lowest point or else just keep your big mouth shut .

In reply to conman

Yep and the only 2 who have stepped up, Pooran and Hety, both were averaging in the teens prior to this WCT20. I'm not sure if that changed or is the same.

Top 10 batting averages for WI players in CPL(Min of 300 runs):

Chase
Pollard
Gayle
Samuels
Simmons
Darren Bravo
Andre Russell

These are the only players averaging 30 and above.

Rounding off the top 10 is:
Allen
Lewis
Ramdin

Look at those names but people don't like to deal with the facts.

He forget there's first class test cricket and also 50 overs tournament, seems like he just want to make more money playing T20s only thats all

In reply to CaribbeanCricket.com

So the man ,who never could play test cricket...has the panacea for success... youngsters should play t-20 ....most of the time.... let's do analysis of the teams in semis

Aussie-Warner, Finch,Marsh, Hazlewood,Starc, Smith, Cummins
Pakistan-Babar,Rizwan,Afridi,Hasan,Haris,Sadab
New Zealand
Guptill,Conway,Williamson,Boult,Santler, Henry, Neesham,Southee
England
Buttler, Rashid,Moeen Ali,Woakes,Woods,Malan
Jordan

Most players in the above, plays or played test cricket...
West Indies was the only team which had least numbers of test cricketers in T-20 squad.
.. World no.1 all rounder Holder got chance to play by default...a team of specialist star t-20 players... failed..and will fail in future... Pollard in order to protect his mentor Simmons talking mindlessly.. Well Mr.Average 12 , it's time for you to bid adieu and play franchise....

In reply to Dukes

But you are making this about one or two players and after the fact selection basis.

I urge you, think deep and don't blame our poor showing on team selection alone.

It has been said many times by so many but I will say it again. We need to develop cricketers. Once the technique and thought process are spot on, then they can play Test cricket or Lickit cricket. With few exceptions, the top players in T20 are all proper cricketers. If you master the basics, you can play anything.

How much of the funding that WI gets from the ICC goes toward intra-regional play (whether 50 over, four day or otherwise)?

When last have any of your critics been to a regional 4 day match?

Players ‘MUST play FC cricket

Players MUST get developed first.

So these players must play like is Covid 19 where everybody on lockdown and is only empty stadia?

Ok……so do you as an alleged fan tangibly support regional FC cricket?

I know openning does. Likely anthonyp as well. Chrissy used to.

Who else?

In reply to imusic

why does that matter?

In reply to imusic

Haven't been since my mom passed in 2017.

In reply to imusic

You can add me to the list of wanting players to play more FC cricket. However, I would like to modify that to Limited Overs cricket given modern times. One reason I believe this is doable is because most of our young cricketers are brought up playing LO and compete at the international U-19 level in this format. We have produced successful players in this format, Pooran and Hetmyer of recent!

In reply to conman

It matters because like any sport, it needs spectator interest. No crowds, no TV presence, not even famiily coming to watch you?

You want players to develop and that’s undeniable. But it’s a holistic effort. Why do we have a marketing arm of the Board? What are they doing to entice people to come out and support?

In reply to StumpCam

Play more FC cricket sure. But to what end?

Let’s look at the so called successful ones

Kraigg Brathwaite mostly plays FC cricket. At club and national level.

He’s gone on to be WI test captain

There’s no chance of him playing for WI in any other format.

He’s focused on one format. And that’s good for him.

But for most youngsters coming in to the game, KB isn’t likely to be their role model of choice.

Other youngsters like KB are Tage Chanderpaul and now Solozano. Despite having the Chanderpaul pedigree, where has that gotten Tage?

We keep saying players need to play FC cricket. Ok. So they play. What then?

In reply to imusic

I still dont understand, are you saying that our development will be helped if there are spectators?

In reply to conman

I’m saying our young players will be incentivized to play FC cricket if there were regional interest, support, and yes financial reward in playing that format.


And if they’re incentivized, that will directly affect development because more players will WANT to play that format.

You can’t say…..you have to play FC cricket…..give up your weekends, give up a lot of your social life, spend your spare time in the hot sun, no spectators, little to no financial reward, no mention in the media about the matches you’re playing in……because “it good for you?”

Maybe way back in the day before internet and other attention algrabbers that youth didn’t have back then.

Not today.

In reply to imusic

Until they get better, more cricket makes more experienced players and first class cricket gives you the most play time possible, in one innings a batsman can show times of great defense, and attack, qualities needed in all forms of cricket

If you are limited on the amount of FC cricket you are limited in your development of those qualities

In reply to imusic

Its not weekend cricket, they are still paid professionals

In reply to Emir

I was preaching about this BEFORE the team was selected.

We have 4 match winning batsmen who are left handers
Lewis,Pooran, Hetmyer and Rutherford

I said BEFORE the team was selected that the Formula for winning T 20 competitions is FEARLESS BATSMEN and WICKET TAKING BOWLERS.
We do not have the latter but people who bowl express pace can win matches for you by blasting out 2 or 3 in the Power play
Odean Smith hit 150 a few times and is an explosive lower order batsman.
I also said that experienced men in their mid to late 30's tend to be FEARFUL and TENTATIVE.
In the practice match the Pakistanis were talking about Gayle being fearful.
Gayle's bellicose behavior betrayed the fact that he was not confident..All that bluster was to hide his fears and insecurities.Any psychologist could tell you that.

In reply to imusic

I think you missed the gist of my post! I’m actually for a compromise of more 50 overs cricket!

In reply to imusic
In all honesty, I don't know what players are working on.
We haven't produced a consistent test player in over a decade, I can only blame Kraigg for not seeking help and work to improve his game.
Establish regional players should be working 5-8 hours a day, on areas of concern.
These guys are being paid monthly.