Barbados : West Indies are being hailed as one of the dark horses and the most ‘exciting’ team at the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 scheduled to start from May 30 onwards in England and Wales. The Jason Holder-led unit will now head to England for the showpiece event after the conclusion of tri-series against Ireland and Bangladesh. Windies might throw a big surprise ahead of the quadrennial event by including Kieron Pollard in the 15-member squad after one of the players, reportedly, got injured.
Pollard was initially not included in Windies’ 15-man squad for the 2019 World Cup and his exclusion came as a big surprise to many, given the massive experience of the 32-year-old veteran all-rounder. However, according to a report in Guardian Media Sports, the Robert Haynes-led selection panel has brought up Pollard’s name as a replacement for one of the injured players.
Pollard’s inclusion will be a massive boost in terms of experience. The Windies all-rounder has the ability to change the complexion of a match single-handedly and any team in the world would want a player like Pollard in their ranks.
It would be harsh on Sunil Ambris’ part, who was initially not included in the 2019 World Cup squad but came back hard by piling up 278 runs in four matches of the tri-series against Bangladesh and Ireland at a sensational average of 92.67. The last date to submit the final squads for the 2019 World Cup is May 23 and if the Windies selectors are not convinced with the fitness report of one of the injured players then it will be Pollard, who will get the nod for the showpiece event.
Earlier, former Windies skipper Darren Sammy had predicted that the Jason Holder-led outfit are more than capable of lifting the coveted trophy and was optimistic about West Indies’ performances in 2019 World Cup.
West Indies kickstart their World Cup journey against Pakistan on May 31 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham before facing Australia on June 6 at the same venue.
