IPL 2017: Pollards’s Innings Was One Of The Best I Have Seen: Mitchell McClenaghan
Apr 15, 2017 at 1:54 PM
Mumbai Indians fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan has said Kieron Pollard’s match-winning 70-run knock against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday was one of the best innings he had seen on a difficult wicket.
Chasing 142, Mumbai Indians were in huge trouble after Samuel Badree’s sensational spell of 4 for 9 reduced them to 33 for 5 at the end of the eighth over. With shot making on the pitch looking absolutely difficult, the big-hitting West Indian played a gem of an innings, scoring 70 runs off just 47 deliveries to guide his team to an unlikely victory.
“Pollards’s innings was one of the best I have seen on an incredibly difficult wicket. I think the media underestimated him. He showed the composure of a top-order batsman to stick to the wicket in given situations. It was one of the smartest and technically good chases I have seen,” McClenaghan told reporters after Mumbai pulled off a four-wicket win over RCB.
“The wicket had variable bounce. It was not coming on to the bat at a pace, and therefore KP’s (Kieron Pollard) innings looked even better,” he added.
The left-arm pacer further praised the Pandya brothers for their role in the match. Krunal Pandya. who had taken the important wicket of AB de Villiers earlier in the match, played the perfect second fiddle to Pollard and remained not out on 37 to see his team through. Hardik Pandya, on his part, ended the match with a six in the penultimate over.
“It was pleasant to see both of them (Pandya brothers) backing up Pollard till the end,” he said.
Speaking about Samuel Badree’s hat-trick that had reduced Mumbai to 7 for 4 in the third over, McClenaghan said:“That (hat-trick against us) was a terrible thing for a start. Badree is a world class bowler for a long time. He took a hat-trick in this match and put us on the backfoot, and almost put us in a position where there was no way back.
He said the team and the bowling coach Shane Bond has had plans for the bowlers, who executed them exceptionally well.
“We had strong plans. We have Shane Bond as bowling coach, and in last two to three games myself, in particular, have not executed well enough. Drying up boundaries at the end of the innings really affects the momentum of any team, and hence my kudos to the bowlers who bowled exceptionally well,” he said.