Sobers, Haynes back Pollard as Barbados captain

Desmond Haynes and Garry Sobers have come out in support of Kieron Pollard being handed the captaincy of the Barbados Caribbean Premier League franchise. There had been some protest in the lead-up to the league, which begins in Bridgetown tonight, about Trinidadian Pollard being captain of the Barbados Tridents.

"We are happy to have someone like Pollard as our captain because he is a winner and you can see the results that he has brought to the Mumbai Indians along with Dwayne Smith," Haynes, who is head coach of the Barbados Tridents, said. "I believe that he is going to help us a lot in this tournament and all I am hoping for at this time is to ask the Barbadian public to come out and support us."

Sobers believed the system of franchises would help strengthen bonds among the West Indies people: "If you have a Trinidadian playing in Barbados, [that's okay]. You can have Trinidadians playing for Barbados, you can have Jamaicans playing for Barbados, you can have Barbadians playing for Jamaica because there are no rules or limit on how much time they have to spend in an island before they play."

Sobers also said he did not see what the "fuss" was about. "If Pollard is playing for Barbados and he is the captain, I don't see anything wrong with it," Sobers said. "If it was like the inter-territorial games [in the past] and he was playing for Barbados, well then he became a Barbadian because he was playing for Barbados and that is a similar thing that is happening right now. I don't see the big argument about it and all the fuss that is being made."

Pollard's Barbados Tridents team-mate Carlos Brathwaite also had good words for Pollard. "I'm looking forward to playing under his captaincy," Brathwaite said. "I played with him a couple times in Trinidad for Queen's Park and I always enjoyed his company. He was always very encouraging."

The Barbados Tridents will host the St Lucia Zouks in the tournament opener. They are one of two franchises, from among six, to have captains from another country. The other is the Antigua Hawksbills, who will be led by Jamaican Marlon Samuels.