West Indies' Kieron Pollard retires from international cricket

West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate cricket. The medium pace-bowling all-rounder, currently representing the Mumbai Indians in the IPL, took to his official Instagram handle to reveal his decision.

Pollard debuted in international cricket back in 2007 and became a global T20 sensation due to his power-hitting and fielding skills. However, the 34-year-old was not a regular member of West Indies' limited-overs side until his appointment as captain in 2019. He took over the reins from all-rounder Jason Holder after the 2019 World Cup in England.

The Trinidad all-rounder made his debut under Brian Lara's leadership. In his retirement post, he said it was his passion as a kid to wear the maroon jersey and gave it everything representing the West Indies. He thanked the selectors, management, teammates, and the coach for placing faith in him throughout his career.

The West Indian also remained thankful to his family, including his stepfather, wife, and three children for supporting his career. Furthermore, the veteran promised to support West Indies cricket in any capacity he could.

Pollard retires after starring in 123 ODIs and 101 T20Is, scoring more than 4000 runs in international cricket. The right-handed batter was part of West Indies' squad that lifted the T20 World Cup in 2012 in Sri Lanka. Along with Sunil Narine, the veteran was ruled out due to a knee injury. However, Darren Sammy & co. still managed to win the tournament by beating England in the final.

The 34-year-old's last game in international cricket was a T20 against India in Kolkata in February 2022. The tourists, however, returned home winless in three T20s and as many ODIs.

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Kieron Pollard likely to continue playing franchise cricket

Fans could still witness the towering all-rounder take the field for franchise cricket. He has been an integral part of the Mumbai Indians since joining the franchise in 2010, starring in all five title wins.

He captained the Trinbago Knight Riders to the title in CPL 2020. The former limited-overs skipper's T20 career entails playing 587 games, scoring 11509 runs, striking at 151.73 and managing 305 scalps.