imgonline-com-ua-resize-ut8hp2DstcOKpNc.jpg

It was a wonderful campaign. Cut short just when our dream had begun to take shape, sure, but a seriously fun campaign nevertheless.&nbsp;From Pollard tonking the ball around like only he can, to the announcement of Muhammad Waseem to the world, to Pooran and Fletcher performing day in and out, to Imran Tahir doing a Cristiano, to DJ Bravo foxing a few more batters for fun, to every game unearthing a new hero, it was some campaign!&nbsp;As it all came to a close, Kieron Pollard turned out for the press conference, and in his typical style, smacked some questions out of the park. Excerpts ..&nbsp;&nbsp;On what went wrong in this gameThere’s a lot of ifs and buts now. Obviously we ended up on the losing side of it but sometimes situations present themselves where you have to take initiatives. We were struggling a bit, we didn’t start off well with the bat. It has been the tale of the tournament. We’ve had good and bad starts. But today, I think it cost us.&nbsp;&nbsp;How he turned his batting form aroundIt all started at the end of the last IPL when you guys wrote me off. It gave me some opportunity to go back and think what I needed to do. There was a lot of talk about my age. Bear in mind, I am only 35. 38, 39, 40-year-olds are still playing. That gave me that extra motivation. Kieron Pollard loves that motivation factor. So, I leave you guys wanting more.&nbsp;&nbsp;On his chat with Gerhard Erasmus when he walked out to batJust welcoming him to the crease. Told him I was happy to have him here, and I didn’t want him to be there for too long. Just when Rashid was supposed to bowl, he pulled away. All within good spirit. He is a good talent playing in international cricket. For all these players playing in this tournament, for me, it was all about sharing my knowledge and giving them an opportunity to tap into my brains. All good things, and long may it continue for these players going forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whether back-to-back games affected the teamThat’s not an excuse and we are not going to use that. We had a very good game yesterday. Coming back today, a lot of these guys have played Test cricket, playing day in and day out. We knew from the outset that if we won yesterday, we’d have to play today. I won’t use that as an excuse. Mental, emotional, nothing like that. I think we were beaten on the day by the better team.&nbsp;&nbsp;On the difference between the Dubai and Sharjah pitchesThat’s what professional sport is about. I am sure you don’t want to know the difference between pitches and what we have to go through in order to come out and perform. That’s not an excuse, that’s not a reason. At the end of the day, you are professional cricketers and you want to see entertainment.&nbsp;Final thoughts on the ILT20 experienceFrom a team perspective, getting here, three other teams could have been in this position but they got knocked out. I thought we had a very good tournament with the squad we had in terms of experience and youth. A couple of guys coming over from England, from West Indies, we were able to blend and share our knowledge and experience with them. I thought it was a good campaign for us in the ILT20. Long may it continue. It is about learning and getting better as individuals. I am sure some of the guys would have taken some knowledge from here and carried on to their different teams.&nbsp;

imgonline-com-ua-resize-pmAiapUznC3RzZM0.jpg

“All about learning and getting better as individuals”: Pollard

imgonline-com-ua-resize-c1UE9BUfJ0rq.jpg

MI Emirates skipper Kieron Pollard’s power-packed half century went in vain as the team bowed out of the ILT20 tournament after going down fighting against the Gulf Giants by four wickets in the second qualifier played at the Dubai International Stadium here on Friday.The mighty Trinidadian mixed power with finesse for a breezy 35-ball unbeaten 57, laced with three boundaries and four massive sixes, and more importantly raised his hands when his team demanded, once again displaying his brilliant leadership skills.Pollard, whose fourth half century of the ILT20 helped him retain the second spot among the top run-getters, ensured that the MI Emirates add 100 runs in the final 10 overs.At the post-match presser, Pollard, who has retired from the Mumbai Indians, was at his wittiest best as he left the scribes in awe while speaking on his transformation as a batter, leading the MI Emirates’ chart with 394 runs at a staggering strike rate of 192.15.“It all started off at the end of the last IPL when you guys (fans) wrote me off. It gave me an opportunity to go back and think about what I need to do. There has been a lot of talk about my age, although I’m just 35 while there are others playing at 38 and 39 years. So that gave me the extra motivation. I leave you guys wanting off,” he said.Joining hands with his West Indian teammate Nicholas Pooran (29) with the team in a spot of bother, the right-left combo injected the pace into the MI Emirates’ innings with a crucial 71-run partnership for the fourth wicket after the team crawled to 67/4 from the first 10 overs.“There can be a lots of ifs and buts now, obviously we are on the losing side but sometimes the situation presents itself when you have to take the initiative. We were struggling a bit, we didn’t start off pretty well with the bat. We had some bad starts earlier in the tournament but today it cost us,” Pollard said.Earlier, MI Emirates lost last evening’s star Andre Fletcher cheaply while Lorcan Tucker’s 17-ball 21 cameo also did not last too long. Muhammed Waseem managed to break the shackles for a while, with a six off Colin de Grandhomme, and then depositing leg spinner Qais Ahmed for two consecutive hits out of the park before his 26-ball 31 was cut short by Chris Jordan.&nbsp;Waseem’s departure at the crucial juncture demanded the need for acceleration, which was provided by the team’s best bets in the Trinidadian pair of Pooran and Pollard.&nbsp;Pooran used the three reprieves to full advantage by playing the perfect second fiddle to his captain, who clobbered the leg-spinner for consecutive sixes to turn on the heat. Pollard later meted out special treatment to other bowlers to add another 29 runs for the fifth wicket with Dwayne Bravo, who remained a spectator to the fellow Trinidadian’s exploits.In response, Giants’ skipper James Vince struck an unbeaten 83 to take the team to the final even after Bravo arrested a flashy 64-run start with the scalp of Chris Lynn (24) and Rashid Khan surprised de Grandhomme with a googly to further apply the brakes.&nbsp;With the opposition needing 60 off the last 8 overs, Fazalhaq Farooqi struck twice in two deliveries to briefly get MI Emirates back into the game, and make up for the dropped chance of Gerhard Erasmus (12) off his skipper from the previous over. Rashid struck again with Wiese’s (15) wicket but by then the damage was mostly done.

imgonline-com-ua-resize-S2MW3kxANoh.jpg

A valiant effort, but alas, our journey ends here!

imgonline-com-ua-resize-YEVDUIVSqVqyM0b.jpg

Cometh the big match, cometh the big player. Andre Fletcher, who was warming the tournament up in the league stage, actually lit it on fire tonight. In a 45-ball 68, studded with four fours and four sixes, he strung together a 102-run stand with Nicholas Pooran as the duo helped MI Emirates chase the total down with 22 balls to spare. Here he is, talking to the league’s social media handle in a post-match chat. Excerpts ..&nbsp;&nbsp;On his batting approachMy role is to give the team a good start every time I get a chance to bat. Really happy to contribute. Even after the powerplay, I was switched on and I told Pooran that I would be there until the end. I didn’t want to leave it to another batter because the wicket was not easy for a batter who had just come in. happy to contribute, but this isn’t finished yet.&nbsp;What worked for the team todayWe have a very good team. As we say, this is a family. We believe in each other. We enjoy each other’s success and that is really important. We just have to continue from strength to strength, take that momentum into the next game and do the basics right as much as possible. The result will take care of itself.&nbsp;The impact of having Rashid Khan in the sideYou know when you have Rashid Khan in your team, you know what he brings to the table. We don’t want to get complacent. The captain said, just because Rashid was there, we shouldn’t leave it up to him. Everyone is putting their hand up. Today it was Pooran and I, and hopefully we can continue to contribute. Once we play as a team, as a unit, I don’t see any team beating us. &nbsp;On what is the secret for his success in the tournamentI have a big family. God gives me the strength to go out and play the game I love. I try to stay as fit as possible, hit the gym as often as possible, and it is paying off.&nbsp;

imgonline-com-ua-resize-azrmOuF3rcj2l.jpg

“Told Pooran I would be there until the end, didn’t want to leave it to a new batter”

imgonline-com-ua-resize-Lq9rYNp0FbD.jpg

Three nights. Two games. One title.&nbsp;Matches in the business end come thick and fast, and there’s been no time to bask in last night’s win. We romped through the Eliminator into the Qualifier, and the positive of having knockout games on back-to-back days is that we could aim to carry this momentum along. It’s almost as if we never left the ground!&nbsp;In front, stand the Gulf Giants, toppers of the table in the league stage. The first of the two head-to-head matches between us was washed out, and the second one was a proper thriller where we ended up on the wrong side of the result as Shimron Hetmyer smashed a six off the last ball of the innings. Not that it matters, as we saw against the Dubai Capitals as well, for the knockouts are a different beast altogether, but we have a score to settle too.&nbsp;Rashid Khan hit the ground running, and him coming into the XI has given our bowling another dimension, and oppositions another headache. At every stage of the tournament, a new player has put his hand up, and we are a well-oiled machine, ready to roll. BRING. IT. ON.&nbsp;&nbsp;What: Gulf Giants vs MI EmiratesWhen: Friday (February 10 2023)Where: Dubai International Stadium, DubaiWhat to expect: A red-hot contest. Two teams in top form. Complete box-office action in the middle.&nbsp;

imgonline-com-ua-resize-80yKyvBgEe.jpg

Qualifier 2: The Gulf Giants await

imgonline-com-ua-resize-01VwbQpz0cmgyhv.jpg

The big man's here. Rashid Khan, the star Afghanistan all-rounder, who's bamboozled the best of batters with his wrist-spinners, has joined the MI Emirates squad ahead of the Eliminator clash against the Dubai Capitals.&nbsp;The UAE is almost like a backyard for the 24-year old, having spent a lot of time on these grounds both in international and domestic cricket. And with his quick-arm action and the ability to get the ball zipping off the track, trust him to be a proper threat to deal with.&nbsp;He is set to add some more experience to our bowling lineup, and should hit the ground running, having until a week ago represented the MI family franchise in the SA20 in South Africa, MI Cape Town. Trust him to also bring in the big-match experience, having won multiple titles all around the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rashid Khan joins the MI Emirates squad ahead of play-offs

By MI Emirates Media

RECENT