Some of Kieron Pollard’s top performances for West Indies

We take a look back at five of Kieron Pollard’s best performances during his successful white-ball career.

1. Pollard scoring 94 off just 55 balls against Ireland at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Pollard made his One-Day International debut as a teenager at the 2007 World Cup on home soil, but it took another four years for the right-hander to make his mark on a major international event.

And he did it in style, combining with fellow dasher Devon Smith (107 from 133 balls) to destroy Irish bowling line-up in Mohali with a stunning 94 off 55 deliveries.

Pollard arrived at the crease with the score at 130/3 after 32 overs, but he and Smith quickly put on 88 runs to help West Indies achieve a large total in the group match.

Pollard was eventually dismissed in the last over, but not before slamming eight boundaries and five enormous sixes in an incredible individual exhibition of power-hitting on the greatest platform of all.

2. In a losing side against India on December 11, 2011, he scored the highest ODI score of 119.

Pollard clearly loved his time in India, and the attacking middle-order batsman was full of confidence when the West Indies began their tour of the subcontinent in late 2011.

While the Caribbean team’s tour did not go as planned, with India winning the ODI series 4-1 thanks to powerful performances from the likes of Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, Pollard was one of the visitors who stood out.

He smashed 199 runs, the most by any West Indian player, including a career-best 119 in the series’ final ODI in Chennai.

And it wasn’t the typical stand-and-deliver innings we’ve come to expect from the Trinidadian, as he demonstrated his versatility with a more careful effort against a tough Indian side.

With his side on 36/4 and pursuing India’s robust 267/6 total, Pollard joined with fellow all-rounder Andre Russell (53 off 42 balls) to get West Indies within striking distance of victory.

Even if it wasn’t to be, Pollard still managed to hit three figures, finishing with four boundaries and ten maximums in a masterful show of composure and skill.

3. Another ODI century – 102 from 70 balls against Australia on March 23, 2012.

Pollard was in fine form at the time, and it didn’t take him long to warm up to the powerful Australian team on their Caribbean tour in early 2012.

Pollard was undeterred by a powerful Australian assault that comprised speedster Brett Lee, left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty, and all-rounder Shane Watson as captain in the fourth ODI of the series at Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia.

Pollard appeared to enjoy batting with Andre Russell (34 off 32 balls), as the pair quickly put up 94 for the sixth wicket to put West Indies in command.

Pollard was eventually bowled by Lee in the penultimate over of the innings, but not before scoring his second ODI century and leading the West Indies to a winning total of 294/7 from their 50 overs.

4. Pollard excels with bat and ball in the semi-final win over Australia on October 5, 2012.

Later that year, West Indies won their first T20 World Cup, and Pollard was a key member of a star-studded squad that energized the 20-over event in Sri Lanka.

Pollard shone brightest in the tense semi-final against Australia in Colombo, where he dominated with bat and ball to ensure the Caribbean side’s position in the title finale.

West Indies had gotten off to a good start with dynamic opener Chris Gayle (75* off 41 balls), but Pollard ensured they could post a big score by hitting three fours and three sixes and contributing 38 from just 15 deliveries to push the tally past 200.

That was always going to be difficult for Australia to chase down, and Pollard made sure they didn’t stand a chance by removing skipper George Bailey and current Test captain Pat Cummins in consecutive deliveries just as his team needed a breakthrough.

5. March 3, 2021: Pollard joins an exclusive group by hitting six sixes in an over.

Pollard’s career was interrupted by injury for much of the second half of his career, and he was forced to sit out from the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, which he was supposed to dominate.

But it didn’t stop Pollard from pulling off his most famous accomplishment in the latter stages of his career when he became the third player in international cricket history to hit the same bowler for six sixes in the same over.

Pollard dined out on the unorthodox spinner with a superb show of power hitting that guided the West Indies to victory.

Akila Dananjaya had earlier taken a hat-trick by dismissing Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, and Nicholas Pooran with consecutive deliveries, but he paid no attention as he dined out on the unorthodox spinner with a superb show of power hitting that guided the West Indies to victory.

Pollard hit Dananjaya straight and even hit a maximum into the sightscreen, but it was a simple chip over the deep mid-wicket boundary from the final ball of the over that helped the burly West Indian join India’s Yuvraj Singh and South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs as the only players to hit six sixes in an over.