T20 World Cup: Only One Indian in Kieron Pollard's list of Top 5 Players In T20 Cricket

Mumbai Indians and West Indies veteran Kieron Pollard has named his top five T20 Players of all time. Pollard, who himself is one of the finest players in the shortest format of the game has talked about four other players who he thinks are the best all around the world.

During a conversation with ICC ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021, Pollard, when asked to make a World T20 XI, came up with five selections covering all aspects of the game.

His first pick was that of his West Indies teammate Chris Gayle, who is widely considered to be the best T20 batter of all time. Gayle's heroics with the bat have made his impact known all around the world. He has 14,261 runs at an average of over 35 and a strike rate of 145.87 in 446 T20 outings. Chris Gayle also has 22 hundreds to his record, far more than any other batter.

"Firstly, Christopher Henry Gayle, Universe Boss. Over 14,000 runs in T20 cricket with 22 centuries. Definitely number 1," said Pollard.

Pollard then picked Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga and West Indies spinner Sunil Narine to handle the duties with the ball. Malinga, who was also his teammate at Mumbai Indians, was one of the finest fast bowlers in T20 cricket. He has 390 wickets under his belt in just 295 games and also guided Sri Lanka to the T20 World Cup title in 2014.

Whereas, Narine showcased his skills over the years by deceiving the batters under his spin web. He is the third-highest wicket-taker in the shortest format with 419 wickets in 379 T20 games at an economy of just 6.04.

"Secondly, Lasith Malinga. King of Yorkers. From a spinning perspective, Sunil Narine. Again, the king of spin. He started it off, bowling in the powerplay and bowling in the end. He has been fantastic," added Pollard.

MS Dhoni only Indian among Kieron Pollard’s top five T20 players

Pollard further went on to hail former India captain MS Dhoni and picked him due to his wicket-keeping and finishing abilities. He also added that the CSK skipper is a great thinker, who led India to glory in the inaugural T20 WC and CSK to three IPL titles.

Dhoni is also among the most feared batters around the world with 6,905 runs in 344 T20s at an average of around 38 and a strike rate of over 130. "So, now I have to take care of my wicket-keeping and batting sort of position. I will go with MS Dhoni. Great thinker, great finisher, feared batter in the back end," continued Pollard.

Last but not the least, Pollard picked himself as the fifth player to complete the five-a-side T20 team. He is the only player to achieve the double of 10,000+ runs and 300+ wickets in T20 cricket and has made valuable contributions all around the world.

"Number 5, if it's my world XI T20 then I got to be there, I've got to play. I will be number 5 and my record speaks for itself when it comes to T20 cricket. That's my 5 and Bravo, yes he is there and thereabouts. There is only five for now but remember a team is made up of 11," concluded Pollard.

Image: PTI