"Kieron Pollard will have to reinvent his game," says Ian Bishop

Former West Indies player Ian Bishop said Mumbai Indians all-rounder Kieron Pollard is not finished with his playing career but needs to reinvent his game. It looks like Pollard is running out of steam in IPL 2022 with his power to finish matches with a big-hitting spree has been curtailed.

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The 35-year-old has amassed 144 runs in 11 innings at an average of 14.4 and a strike rate of 107.45. In the match against Gujarat Titans last Friday, Pollard was cleaned up by leg-spinner Rashid Khan. He made only four runs in 14 deliveries. Moreover, he failed to rise up to the occasion when MI needed 53 runs in the last three overs and was run out for 15 runs in 16 balls.

With Singapore-born batter Tim David's rise to prominence as a finisher for MI, pundits reckoned him to be the future of the franchise. Meanwhile, everyone called him curtains on Pollard's stint with the IPL giants.

However, Bishop believes Pollard has much to offer in the coming years. He also recounted those instances where the West Indies all-rounder single-handedly won matches for MI in the cash-rich league.

"Pollard himself has to reinvent his game": Ian Bishop

"Pollard himself has to reinvent his game, however, he chooses to do that, because he's still got a future ahead of him we hope. People are saying he's washed, I'm not going to go there. I think he's a player who can reinvent himself"

Ian Bishop told ESPNCricinfo

"Yeah, they (Mumbai Indians) are keeping faith and being loyal to a great player for them. We have to have long memories – when I say we, in the media; fans, some fans anyway, have short memories.

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"You look at Pollard's numbers when Mumbai have won the championships: 400 runs <420> in 2013 at 42, up to 2019 and 2020, where he averaged over 30 with a strike rate sometimes in the 160s to 190s <156.74 in 2019, 191.42 in 2020> – he's been integral to them. You can't forget that as a franchise, so they're giving him every possible chance," he added.

In the middle of IPL 2022, Pollard announced his retirement from international cricket. He has played for almost 15 years in the West Indies colors.

Lowest strike rates of Kieron Pollard in an IPL season:

Year	Innings	Runs	Strike Rate
2022	11	144	107.46*
2011	13	146	109.46
2018	08	133	133.00
2014	15	273	134.48
2012	11	220	138.36