South Australia sign Pollard for Twenty20
Two days after announcing that they had signed Shahid Afridi, South Australia have scored another coup by adding the West Indies allrounder Kieron Pollard to their Twenty20 line-up for this summer. Pollard and Afridi will add significant power to South Australia's batting order as they aim to qualify for next year's Champions League Twenty20.
The recruitment of Pollard is a win for South Australia after New South Wales expressed their interest in signing him. The Blues were alerted to Pollard's devastating potential when he brutalised them midway through the Champions League with to drive Trinidad and Tobago to victory.
Jamie Cox, South Australia's high performance manager, said the Redbacks had been keen on Pollard for some time. "We have been talking with Pollard for a while, even before his match-winning efforts in the Champions League and we were thrilled to secure his signature on Tuesday night," Cox said.
"The addition of both Shahid Afridi and Kieron Pollard will add an explosive dimension to the Redbacks KFC Twenty20 Big Bash campaign this summer. Pollard's addition to the Redbacks squad will provide fans with a fantastic opportunity to watch one of the most exciting ball-strikers in the game today."
NSW coach Matthew Mott said Pollard's decision had to be respected.
"We spoke to him couple of times. And there was a good feeling about it," Mott told Cricinfo. "But I guess it's never sealed unless you get the signature on paper. Whenever managers get involved, it's not easy and straightforward. I have no hard feelings. You can't blame the player.
"He and his managers must have weighed up their options. It would obviously have been good had we got him as we were very impressed with how he played in the Champions League, especially in both matches against us. Even in the final, his temperament stood out but that's that; we have to move on."
Pollard, 22, struck the most sixes in the recent Champions League and adds another valuable medium-pace bowling option for the Redbacks. The states are allowed to sign up to two international players for the Big Bash and have until December 24 to confirm their recruits.