Pollard takes T20 crown from Gayle as Caribbean greats rewrite history

Kieron Pollard has added another historic achievement to an already remarkable T20 career, becoming the highest run scorer in the history of the format after surpassing former West Indies teammate Chris Gayle.

The milestone arrived during Major League Cricket action on Saturday, where Pollard produced a spectacular unbeaten century for MI New York against Washington Freedom at Grand Prairie Stadium.

Although his brilliant innings came in a losing effort, the moment belonged to Pollard.

The 39-year-old reached the record in trademark fashion, clearing the boundary with a towering six.

Facing Asif Mehmood, Pollard launched the ball over long-off to move from 79 to 85 and push his career T20 tally beyond Gayle’s previous record of 14,562 runs.

A century built on years of middle-order excellence

Pollard finished unbeaten on exactly 100, his second century in T20 cricket, taking his career total to 14,582 runs from 736 matches at a strike rate of 151.12.

The achievement was even more significant because much of Pollard’s career was spent away from the top of the order.

Only 22 of his 653 T20 innings have come at No. 4 or higher, while 286 innings have been played at either No. 6 or No. 7.

For Pollard, that made the record even more meaningful.

“Surpassing Chris Gayle, someone we looked up to in the West Indies over a period of time, is special,” Pollard said.

“He has done great things in all formats of cricket, so again, sorry Universe Boss, but we are both at the top there.”

Celebrating the value of the finisher’s role

Pollard believes his success came from embracing a role many players avoid.

The explosive all-rounder became one of the game’s greatest finishers, regularly entering matches in difficult situations and being asked to change the momentum quickly.

“Having said that, batting at No. 6 or 7 is very difficult,” Pollard said.

“Somebody needs to do the dirty work, though, and while everyone rushes to bat at the top of the order, a cricket match involves 11 people, and everyone has a role to play.”

“I guess my role over time was to finish matches, and I embraced that. Once you embrace the challenge and practise for it, good things come.”

A record that reflects T20’s evolution

Pollard admitted that chasing career milestones was never his original motivation.

Instead, he sees the record as part of the wider transformation of cricket, especially the rise of franchise T20 leagues.

The former West Indies captain said players like Gayle and Dwayne Bravo faced criticism when they committed heavily to the shortest format in its early years.

“I’d be lying if I said that [scoring this number of runs was on my mind],” Pollard said.

“But what I’m proud of, individually and with all those other guys like Chris, is that we took a leap of faith and we got ridiculed a lot for it.”

“Cricket is changing” — Pollard reflects on the future

Pollard pointed to the changing landscape of the sport, where T20 cricket has become a major part of players’ careers and the global cricket economy.

“Now you live to see guys at a young age even retiring from international cricket to play franchise cricket because, again, cricket is not just a sport anymore; it’s a business.”

He said resistance to change is natural but believes the evolution of the game has proven the early pioneers right.

“One thing I’ve understood in life about human beings is that, when you do something different, change is something we’re not really accustomed to.”

“I’m happy that I’ve lived the day to see it, and I hope everyone who criticised us over the years can sit back and say, ‘Cheers’.”

“We don’t need a sorry. Respect each and every format of the game, but understand that, just like technology, everything is changing.”

A new chapter in Caribbean T20 greatness

For years, Gayle’s name stood at the top of the T20 run charts, reflecting the dominance of the “Universe Boss” across leagues worldwide.

Now, Pollard has taken the crown, a fitting achievement for another Caribbean icon whose career helped define the modern era of the format.

The record belongs to Pollard, but the story belongs to two players who changed the way the world views T20 cricket.