SL v WI 2020: Pollard seeks consistency from West Indies during ODI series 

Calypso Kings will take on their Lankan rivals in a three-match ODI series from February 22.

Kieron Pollard | GettyAfter competing well in India and pulling off a dominant performance against Ireland at home, Kieron Pollard's West Indies team is in Sri Lanka for another three-match ODI series, starting this Saturday (February 22) in Colombo, and the skipper is quietly confident of his troops continuing their good work. 

It's the kind of series that would have so much more context about it when the ICC ODI Super League begins this summer but for Pollard's young men, the significance of the series is in seeing it as yet another opportunity to learn on the job and become more consistent with their skill. 

Read Also: West Indies snub ‘unfit’ Lewis, Hetmyer from ODI squad for Sri Lanka series

"When we got to India we were looking to where we were as a team. A lot has happened from the World Cup till now. We want to play the brand of cricket, we want to compete and we want to be always into the game," Pollard told reporters. "I thought the guys showed that they want to compete at international level and compete with the best for it’s a matter of continuity, a matter of not being overconfident but always wanting to improve each and every time."

Facing a team also in the bottom-tier of the rankings table, West Indies will be looking to fetch a few crucial points and leapfrog its Lankan rivals. 

"In the series against Ireland, we wanted to show that we were a step above those guys and that’s exactly what we did," Pollard said. "Now coming up against Sri Lanka two teams that are evenly matched in terms of where we sit especially in the rankings, it will be very interesting to see what these guys come out and show."

"We came here early because we wanted to do well as a team. We want to continue to play a certain brand of cricket, we are looking forward to it and we are pretty confident. At the end of the day everyone starts at zero who holds that pressure and who hold the match till the end is going to win and come out on top."

The visitors prepared nicely for the series with a victory in the warm-up game against Sri Lanka Board President's XI. "We adapted pretty well, we came early to get used to the conditions. Mentally and physically we are prepared for that," the captain said. "The humidity is high but these things we are accustomed to in the Caribbean so we have a lot of coconut water and lots of fruits. We are hydrated and the guys are looking forward to the series."

But still, the absence of two of the team's best batsmen in Even Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer will definitely be felt. "Lewis was the batsman of the last ODI series against Ireland he did well for us and Hetmeyer has been consistently scoring runs but these things happen," Pollard said. "It is an opportunity for other guys to come out and show on the international arena."

"Sometimes you look at it as a negative but it’s a positive for some other people. We as a team are looking forward to playing on what we have started and hopefully, we can continue going forward."

(Inputs from dailynews.lk)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 21 Feb, 2020

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