Kieron Pollard retires from international cricket after representing Windies for 15 years

West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket after representing his country at the top for 15 years. The 34-year-old informed his fans about the decision via a post on his official social media handles.

Kieron Pollard retires from international cricket

After careful deliberation, Kieron Pollard believes it is time to hang up his boots from all forms of international cricket as he announced his retirement on April 20. "As I move on and make room for those who will carry the game forward in West Indies colours, know that I will always be supporting in whatever way I can. It is with profound gratitude for living my dream that I now raise my bat in salute to all that is West Indies cricket," said the West Indies all-rounder in a statement.

Read Pollard's full statement here

After careful deliberation, I have today decided to retire from international cricket.

As is the case for many young persons, it was a dream of mine to represent the West Indies team from the time I was a boy of 10 years and I am proud to have represented West Indies cricket for over 15 years in both the T20i and 001 forms of the game. I can still vividly remember making my international debut in 2007 under the leadership of my childhood hero, Brian Lara. Wearing those maroon colours and playing alongside such greats has been a privilege that I never took lightly, giving my heart and soul in every facet of the game - whether bowling, batting or fielding.

In 2019, I was asked by Cricket West Indies to lead both the T20i and 001 West Indies teams, which to date is the highest honour bestowed on me and for which I will forever be grateful. As Captain, I believe that I have led with passion, openness, courage and everything I could ever possibly give both on and off the field without ever compromising my principles and integrity. I know some of my teammates believe that I am a hard taskmaster and I like to see things done professionally, and that is true, but I also believe in being selfless and creating the environment for individuals and teams to succeed.

Respect for my teammates has been a guiding principle of mine and in turn, I have always felt that reciprocated. This made my job all the more enjoyable and rewarding. For their support, I am ever thankful to all my teammates over the years, both as a player and as captain, and wish each of them continued success in the years ahead.

I am grateful to the various selectors, management teams and in particular, Coach Phil Simmons for seeing potential in me and for the faith they steadfastly had in me throughout my career. This and the confidence Cricket West Indies showed in me was particularly reassuring as I stepped up to take on the challenge of leading the team. I wish to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the President of CWI, Mr Ricky Skerritt, for his unwavering support and encouragement, especially during my time as Captain.

Kieron Pollard's career

Despite not having played a single Test, Kieron Pollard had an exceptional white-ball career with both bat and ball. He played 123 ODIs for the West Indies, scoring 2,706 runs and picking up 55 wickets. The 34-year-old, who is known to be one of the best finishers in T20I cricket, has scored 1,568 runs in 101 matches at a decent strike rate of 135.14. He has also picked up 42 wickets alongside these batting numbers in this format.

And to add to all his accomplishments as an individual, he also was bestowed the honour of leading the Windies side in international cricket in both white-ball formats. Despite heading into the 2019 T20 World Cup as one of the favourites, the Pollard-led side did not have the best of tournaments as they were knocked out of the group stages. Having retired from international cricket, Pollard will hope that he can add to his five IPL titles with the Mumbai Indians.