Kieron Pollard retires from international cricket, will he continue playing IPL 2022 for Mumbai Indians?

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Mumbai, Apr 20: West Indies limited-overs batting legend and white-ball skipper Kieron Pollard on Wednesday (April 20) shocked his fans by announcing his retirement from international cricket. The big-hitting Trinidadian will, however, continue to freelance for the T20 cricket and T10 leagues across the globe.

The 34-year-old cricketer, who made his ODI debut back in 2007, played his last international series in February against India. It was only fitting to see him play his final series in a country that has become his second home.

"Hi all, after careful deliberation, I have decided to retire from international cricket. It was a dream of mine to play for West Indies since I was a 10-year-old boy and I am proud to represent the West Indies for over 15 years in T20 and ODI format of the game," Pollard announced on his official Instagram page.

Pollard T20 career

While he is a feared T20 cricketer, one of the finest that the world has seen, his numbers for the West Indies remain underwhelming with only 2706 runs at just above 26 and 55 wickets from 123 ODIs along with 1569 runs from 101 T20Is at an average of a shade over 25.

He also took 44 wickets. While the highlight of his international career would be hitting six sixes of Akila Dananjaya in a T20I. He was a part of the 2012 ICC T20 World Cup-winning West Indies squad. He never played Test cricket.

Will Pollard play in IPL 2022 and 2023?

Pollard is a household name in India due to his long association with five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians. His big-hitting prowess in the IPL has also been on the wane as he isn't the same batsman he once was.

With age catching up, Pollard hasn't been able to win Mumbai Indians any game this season and as a result, his team is languishing at the bottom of the points table with six defeats. He was retained by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction and the team expected him to fire big. However, he hasn't yet played an impactful knock in the tournament.

With him hanging up his boots in international cricket, it will be interesting to see if teams and franchises will deem him fit for the T20 or T10 leagues. He is likely to continue offering his services in IPL 2022 but he will have to deliver with the bat to keep the franchise interested in him in IPL 2023.