West Indies allrounder and limited-overs skipper Kieron Pollard announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, April 20, informing his fans of his decision on social media. The 33-year-old drew the curtains on a 15-year-long career for Windies at the highest level. Pollard has also been a regular fixture in the Indian Premier League (IPL), winning the coveted trophy multiple times with Mumbai Indians (MI).
"As I move on and make room for those who will carry the game forward in West Indies colours, know that I will always be supported in whatever way I can. It is with profound gratitude for living my dream that I now raise my bat in salute to all that is West Indies cricket," Pollard said in a statement on social media.
Pollard has achieved legendary status with West Indies during his time with the national team. He made his international debut in an ODI against South Africa in 2007. His T20I debut came in the following year opposite Australia in Bridgetown.
During his time with West Indies, Pollard went on to play 123 ODIs and 101 T20Is. He was part of the West Indies team that won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2012 and was also part of their initial squad for the 2016 World Cup but withdrew from the final squad because of an injury. More recently, Pollard was named as the captain of the West Indies squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Pollard finishes his international career with 2706 ODI runs for West Indies. He further bagged 1569 runs in matches as well as a massive 11,509 runs in 587 T20 matches (domestic, international and franchise leagues).
In the IPL, Pollard has played for over a decade with MI. During his tenure for the Mumbai-based outfit, Pollard has been a part of all five of their trophy-winning campaigns. He has hit 3350 runs for MI and has a strike rate of 149.35. With the ball, Pollard has picked up 66 wickets in the IPL.
