PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad — Former West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard believes the regional side delivered a respectable performance at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, even though their campaign ultimately fell short of a place in the semi-finals.
Assessing the team’s overall effort in India, Pollard said the players demonstrated resilience and competitiveness throughout the tournament, earning what he described as a “passing grade.”
“For me, I would give them a passing grade. I think they played pretty well in this World Cup. They did well,” Pollard said.
Strong opening, sudden halt
The West Indies began their campaign in convincing fashion, sweeping their four preliminary-round matches to finish atop Group C and signaling early promise.
Their momentum continued into the Super Eights stage, where they opened with a commanding victory over Zimbabwe. But the surge would not last.
Back-to-back defeats to South Africa and tournament hosts India halted their progress and ultimately ended their hopes of advancing deeper into the competition.
Despite the disappointing finish, Pollard felt the team’s performances suggested they were capable of challenging stronger opponents.
“Leading up into the World Cup, they would have played a couple series, guys would not have been confident, but I just thought they carried about themselves pretty well,” he said.
Competitive against cricket’s elite
Pollard pointed out that even in defeat, the West Indies showed signs of being competitive against some of the sport’s most formidable teams.
“Some are going to argue the point that, when we met the full nations per se, we didn’t win,” he said. “When you look at it, when you play India in India, and you score 190-plus, I think we had a fighting chance.”
He also referenced the team’s effort against South Africa as evidence of their potential.
“When they played against South Africa, they had a fighting chance, but the determination was there where they put up a sizeable total (176 for eight). So I think it is something we can work with,” Pollard added.
Call for patience and collective support
Pollard, now 38, led the West Indies in One-Day Internationals and T20 Internationals from 2019 to 2022 and captained the side at the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, where they exited at the group stage.
Drawing on that experience, he urged supporters and stakeholders across the Caribbean to avoid rash judgments and instead focus on strengthening the team through unity and encouragement.
“We just need to continue the development but, when you look around, that’s the cream of the crop we have in the Caribbean. So, if we want, we can go and be negative and have knee-jerk reactions,” Pollard said.
“In order for success to happen, I just believe that we need to come together a bit more and carry those positive vibes and energy so it can go over into the guys, so they can perform.”
Long-term vision for World Cup success
For Pollard, restoring the West Indies to championship heights will require patience and sustained effort rather than quick fixes.
“We want to win World Cups. Yes we have done it before, but it doesn’t take overnight for that to happen,” he said.
While the latest campaign ended short of the semi-finals, Pollard believes the team’s performances provide a foundation on which the Caribbean side can continue to build.
