In Major League Cricket 2026 on Sunday, when former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard reached 81, he achieved a major milestone in T20 cricket. He became the highest run-getter in the format, going past fellow West Indian Chris Gayle, also known as the Universe Boss. After his 100 not out off 56 balls for MI New York against Washington Freedom in a losing cause, the 39-year-old, who is also the batting coach of Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, took his runs tally to 14,582 in 736 matches at an average of 31.83 and a strike rate of 151.12. He ended opening dynamite Gayle’s 12-year reign.
Most of these runs have come at lower batting order numbers, a matter of great pride for Pollard. “Surpassing Chris Gayle, someone we looked up to in the West Indies over a period of time, is special. He has done great things in all formats of cricket, so again, sorry Universe Boss, but we are both at the top there,” Pollard said after the match.
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“Having said that, batting at No. 6 or 7 is very difficult. Somebody needs to do the dirty work, though, and while everyone rushes to bat at the top of the order, a cricket match involves 11 people, and everyone has a role to play. I guess my role over time was to finish matches, and I embraced that. Once you embrace the challenge and practice for it, good things come,” he added.
Trailblazers!
There was a time when players like Pollard, Gayle and Dwayne Bravo were criticised for prioritising franchise cricket over everything else, including international cricket. It has to be said that they were the ones who introduced that line of thinking. So many years down the line now, Pollard doesn’t regret his decision. In fact, he is proud of it, if anything.
“Hell, no, I’d be lying if I said that [if he ever imagined achieving the ‘most runs’ feat]. But what I’m proud of, individually and with all those other guys you mentioned like Chris, is that we took a leap of faith and we got ridiculed a lot for it. Now you live to see guys at a young age, even retiring from international cricket to play franchise cricket because again cricket is not just a sport anymore; it’s a business,” he said.
“One thing I’ve understood in life about human beings is that when you do something different, change is something we’re not really accustomed to. I’m happy that I’ve lived the day to see it, and I hope everyone who criticised us over the years can sit back and say, ‘Cheers’. We don’t need a sorry. Respect each and every format of the game, but understand that just like technology, everything is changing,” he added.