Controversial: Pollard no-ball in CPL attracts worldwide flak
(Lewis’ innings) deserved a hundred and I’ve got to say, as positive and excited as I am, it’s a pretty disappointing way for Pollard to finish the game.
Kieron Pollard has been lambasted by fans and pundits across the globe after it seemed that the West Indian all-rounder deliberately bowled a no-ball to end a match and deny St Kitts and Nevis Patriots opener Evin Lewis a century.
After being set a paltry 129-run target by Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis rode on Lewis’ 97 off 32 balls to race down to the finishing line. With just a run to go, Pollard stepped up to bowl the delivery but produced a wayward shortpitched delivery to finish the game on an anticlimactic note. The umpire called it a no-ball, which would have been a wide anyway.
Pollard was also criticised by commentator Danny Morrison, who said Lewis deserved to have a go to reach triple figures. “(Lewis’ innings) deserved a hundred and I’ve got to say, as posi- tive and excited as I am, it’s a pretty disappointing way for Pollard to finish the game,” Morrison said.
This wasn’t the first time Pollard has been involved in an on-field controversy in the Caribbean Premier League this year. In their game against St Lucia Stars, Pollard had a few heated exchanges with Rahkeem Cornwall after the latter decided to retire from the innings after scoring a 44-ball 78.
Even in the Indian Premier League, Pollard has had a nasty moment when he threw his bat at Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc back in 2014, which earned him a charge under article 2.2.7 of the code. It deals with: “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a player, team official, umpire, match referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during a match.”