ST GEORGE’S, Grenada – Kieron Pollard said Friday he did not expect any hangover from the West Indies thrashing in the preceding Test series to impact his side in the five-match Twenty20 International series starting Saturday.
The home side lost both Tests in St Lucia by emphatic margins – the first by an innings and 63 runs and the second by 158 runs – but Pollard said his 13-man unit were “white-ball specialists” and expected them to excel in the new format.
“We’re pretty confident. The good thing about it is when they played the Test series they played with a red ball and that moves a lot, and this one we’re playing with a white ball,” the experienced all-rounder told an online media conference.
“So I think the guys, white-ball specialists, are a lot more confident going into the series because guys would have played against the (Kagiso) Rabadas and the (Anrich) Nortjes and the (Quinton) de Kocks, so familiarity can work for us as well.
“So every day is a new day whereas in the Test team, guys would have been facing these individuals who are world class bowlers for the first time, so it takes a while.”
He added: “Let’s try not to come down too hard on them (Test batsmen) and try to put the [South Africa] bowlers on a pedestal.
“Yes, they’re good bowlers, but at the end of the day we need to play cricket and hopefully we can play and can overcome the challenges, and we can say that our West Indians batters were able to compete with these world class bowlers.”
West Indies face a South Africa side who have struggled of recent and are without a series win in their last six tours, and have only won five of their last 19 T20 Internationals.
The home side’s form has also been indifferent, winning only two of their last seven series and capturing seven of their last 20 matches
West Indies enter the series ranked 10th in the world in the ICC charts, with the Proteas four notches higher but Pollard said the focus was on playing the best cricket possible.
“I don’t look too much into that. It’s about how we play our cricket going forward in the future,” he pointed out.
“One thing about South Africa is that they’re confident because some of the guys might have played in the Test series, and they beat us two-zip so they’re coming full of confidence and we’re already starting on the back foot as well.
“We’re just looking forward to playing good cricket and trying to improve on what we started in that last series against Sri Lanka.”
And with all-rounder Andre Russell recalled to the Windies ranks and the likes of Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons and Chris Gayle available, Pollard warned the reigning T20 World champions would play to their strengths.
“In terms of our strength, it’s no secret about our power-hitting ability and being able to clear the boundaries, using our strength and our power,” he said.
“That’s our biggest strength and we will continue to harness our strengths and work on our weaknesses. In everything you do, you try to improve and we’re trying to improve as a team and as individuals.”
The 33-year-old Russell has not represented West Indies in 16 months for a variety of reasons but will now link up with the likes of veterans Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle and Pollard to form a formidable unit for the June 26 to July 3 series at the Grenada National Stadium.
“Andre Russell will add that ‘X’ factor to the team. He is an impact player with both bat and ball and lends greater depth in both departments,” said chief selector Roger Harper.
Selectors have retained the core of the group which beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in a three-match series back in March, with all-rounder Jason Holder, Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons all set for action in the coming week.
Twenty-one year-old off-spinner Kevin Sinclair, who made his debut against Sri Lanka, has found favour with selectors again as has ageing speedster Fidel Edwards who was recalled last March at age 39 for his first international assignment in nearly a decade.
Harper said the series was an important one as selectors continued to hone their squad for the T20 World Cup later in the year.
“The aim is to build on the performance against Sri Lanka earlier this year, to build confidence, while determining our best squad and team as we run into the ICC T20 World Cup,” he noted.
There is no room, however, for left-hander Shimron Hetmyer who has now lost his place in the West Indies setup in all three formats.
The attacking 24-year-old missed out on the T20 series against Sri Lanka after failing to meet Cricket West Indies’ minimum fitness standard but has since qualified.
Hetmyer has not represented West Indies since November last year, on the tour of New Zealand.
He is among five players excluded from the 18-man provisional squad announced last month with speedsters Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein and leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr all overlooked.
SQUAD – Kieron Pollard (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice Captain), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair (CMC)
