Kieron Pollard is no stranger to winning, but after helping Trinbago Knight Riders’ to their fifth Caribbean Premier League title, following victory over Guyana Amazon Warriors, he chose to speak less about silverware and more about the reception he continues to receive across parts of the Caribbean.
Pollard has become accustomed to being greeted with jeers and boos in certain Caribbean venues, most notably in Guyana, where partisan crowds have often targeted him during the CPL. The boos have followed him for years, from Providence to other regional grounds, regardless of his status as a former West Indies captain and one of the most decorated T20 cricketers in the world.
On Sunday night, Pollard addressed the booing torment again. “It (winning the title) means a lot, but one thing I will say, there’s three countries in the Caribbean where we have played, the booing is boring now,” Pollard said. “We are still the laughing stock of cricket in the West Indies. You have a guy who has represented the entire Caribbean over a period of time, putting them on the map in the format. But we still don’t appreciate him. I’m not bitter but I feel sorry, not for myself.”
Pollard stressed that his focus has always remained on playing the game the right way. “Kieron Pollard has played cricket, that’s what I know. I got the opportunity, God has given me a talent, I have represented my family and my country. I don’t politicise things, I do it because I love the game, I love the sport.”
He also highlighted the irony of being part of a champion side yet still facing hostility. “This means a lot, five-time champions, but it’s quite ironic that we are still the laughing stock of cricket in the world.”
The 38-year-old has been consistent with this stance over the years. Back in 2019, after being booed in Providence, he had remarked: “It’s amazing to know that I’m right from Trinidad and Tobago and you walk into the cricket ground, as much as you’re supporting a team, and booing a West Indies player as well; so that goes to show the kind of characters we have going around the Caribbean.”
