IPL 10: Pollard’s innings was something which was never seen before, says Mitchell McClenaghan

McClenaghan said the team has incredible talents all the way down the order and both Pandya brothers were becoming world class cricketers

By: PTI News Agency |
April 15, 2017 1:25 am

Left-arm pacer Mitchel McClenaghan today said that his Mumbai Indians team-mate Kieron Pollard’s 47-ball 70 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL match was one of the best knocks he had seen as it had come on a difficult wicket here.

“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 said.

McClenaghan said the team has incredible talents all the way down the order and both Pandya brothers were becoming world class cricketers who have an uncanny knack of absorbing pressure to put it back on to the bowlers.

“It was pleasant to see both of them (Pandya brothers) backing up Pollard till the end,” he said. McClenaghan said RCB’s leg-spinner Samuel Badree, who took a hat-trick today, was a world-class bowler for a long time.

“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 New Zealander said the team and the bowling coach Shane Bond has had plans for the bowlers, who executed them exceptionally well, especially in death overs, where they dried up RCB’s run flow.

“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.