West all-rounder Kieron Pollard delivered one of the greatest ever t20 performances this evening. “I must admit, I haven’t [seen a better t20 innings] and I haven't seen a bigger six than that one of Udal today – just an exceptional innings that he played,” Middlesex’s number three batsman Neil Dexter says. “I must admit, we would have backed ourselves at 30 for 4, but for someone to come in and do that, I think we can look to that as a team and show that if someone can put your hand up, you can win games.”

Pollard showed how to play the game with both bat and ball. “To be fair he bowled well, but I actually think the score that we got was enough,” says Dexter. “He bowled well; he bowled leg-cutters on a length that wasn’t easy to hit. Our bowlers maybe should have seen that and maybe did the same. I think a few might have still gone out of the road no matter where you bowled them to him today, but I think we’ve just got to stick to our plans in the future and not panic.”

Pollard expressed himself in a format that clearly suits him. “It’s a great feeling just listening to the crowd,” says the exciting  Pollard after his magnificent exploits at Lord’s this evening. “I just go out there and back myself and see what I can do to help the team to win..” He achieved that practically single-handedly as he took 3 for 26 from his four overs and then flayed all bowlers that challenged him all over the ground as he helped himself to 89 runs from just 45 balls.

Wake Up:

Purists hate it as not being proper cricket. Others insist that the bubble is about to burst and some just want it to go away, but the paying public love it. This match between the Middlesex Panthers and Somerset Sabres showed why. A good crowd was treated to one of the great all-round performances in any form of cricket from Pollard. It was truly special – an incredible début from on of the stars of the Indian Premier League, who had only just arrived in the country.

Pollard does not see himself as a Twenty/20 specialist. “I would never class myself as a Twenty/20 specialist because Twenty/20 is just a game that we are playing a little bit now,” he said, “so there's a lot to do in other forms.” but Pollard believes that the format has improved his cricket.

“You have to be thinking on your feet all the time – always on the move, always trying to manoeuvre the field and do different things, because each bowler has a plan as well, so I think it’s part and parcel of t20, 50 over and Test cricket,” Pollard told us. “Hopefully professionals can play another form at this point in time.”

His batting was sensational. He took Middlesex’s attack apart, beginning with youngster Tom Smith. Shaun Udal – almost twice his age – fared no better, conceding an enormous six to Pollard which hit the pavilion wall just below the home balcony and another to Peter Trego, whose effort paled in comparison.

Neil Dexter, Gareth Berg and Dawid Malan couldn’t contain the destructive Pollard either. His innings included seven mighty maximum shots and seven fours as well as the tall West Indian single-handedly took the match away from Middlesex with bat and ball. “I was told that was my highest score in t20 since I’ve been playing so I just want to go out there and continue,” says Pollard. “Hopefully Somerset can come out on top in this tournament.” Middlesex will hope they don’t have the misfortune to encounter Pollard again in this form.

Setting A Target:

Dexter is not seen as a t20 specialist yet he bats at number three depending on the situation. “I’ve been given freedom to go in there if we lose a wicket in the first four overs,” he told us. “If not I’ll probably bat down the order, but I’ve been given a bit of freedom to go in there and play some shots, which is helping me. I’m feeling good. It’s always nice to play with a bit of freedom.”

He thought Middlesex’s total was enough. By rights it should have been. 155 for 6 from twenty overs at Lord’s on a worn pitch was a good effort, led by an unbeaten 48 from returning world champion Eoin Morgan, made from thirty balls. It should have been plenty.

“When we came off the field I thought 140 on that wicket,” says Dexter on the target he thought Middlesex needed to set Somerset to win. “I think it would have been enough if Pollard didn’t play the innings he did.”

Morgan hit four fours and a six, including a variation of the Dilshan paddle – a reverse scoop over the wicket-keeper and fellow world champion Craig Kieswetter. Meanwhile,Morgan was supported by cameos from Scott Newman, 26 from 25 balls with three fours and a six after Adam Gilchrist’s miserable form continued – a seven ball duck that included an opening maiden from Ben Phillips., who took the return catch from Gilchrist from the first ball of the third over.

Dexter was fortunate to survive as a mistimed effort just cleared Pollard. He retaliated with a magnificent pull for six from the next ball. Dexter and Newman set about repairing the damage. The sixth over – the last of the power-play – yielded twenty runs thanks to an uncharacteristically belligerent innings from Dexter 29 from 18 balls with three sixes and two fours.

Dexter was caught by Marcus Trescothick from the bowling of Peter Trego – 46 for 2. Newman followed 22 runs later, caught by Jos Butler – the first of Pollard’s victims for 26. Pollard and fellow overseas player Murali Kartik – a veteran of the Indian Premier League – restricted the flow of runs.

Brakes:

Kartik got a good reception on his return to Lord’s. His first over cost just three runs – one of which was a wide. He was his usual economic self, conceding 23 from his four overs. Trego did well too, taking 1 for 9 from 2 overs, but the most successful bowler was an unlikely one – Pollard.

The West Indian all-rounder who graced the Mumbai Indians’ line-up in the IPL claimed three wickets for 26 from his four overs – Newman: a circumspect Owais Shah, caught by Thomas for 24 from 31 balls and Dawid Malan, batting behind Gareth Berg in the order for 8, caught by Zander de Bruyn.

With the explosive batting that Pollard unleashed to seize control of the match , his bowling efforts have been ignored, but they proved important and gave him cause for satisfaction too. “It was very important,” Pollard says. “I just try and go out there and back myself and try different things, because you don’t want to get too monotonous in what you are bowling to the batsmen or get predictable. I just go out there and back myself and try to do it again.”

Middlesex took sixteen from the final over, led by Morgan It looked like it should have been enough, especially when the hosts reduced Somerset to 31 for 4, but they had failed to allow for Pollard at his destructive best.

Response:

Craig Kieswetter’s average took a huge hit despite being granted a life on 1. Pedro Collins beautifully yorked him only to be called for over-stepping. The free hit wasn’t costly and nor was the reprieve. Kieswetter mistimed his shot horribly to present a dolly catch to Gilchrist for Tim Murtagh to take first of his two wickets. Despite conceding the winning runs to Pollard, Murtagh’s figures were economical 2 for 27 from 3.5 overs. Collins took 1 for 26 from his 4 overs. The rest of the figures reflected Pollard’s dominance.

Somerset skipper Marcus Trescothick made a rapid 20 from 15 balls, with 2 fours and a six before Murtagh had the last laugh, running him out backing up after James Hildreth found the fielder. Butler was then bowled by Collins for 1.  Murtagh dropped a difficult return chance off Hildreth, but again the reprieve was not costly as Smith caught him for 5. At 31 for 4 Middlesex looked set to record their first win of the competition.

Unwise:

That annoyed Pollard who belted two long sixes off Smith’s first three balls. Dexter then saved a boundary as did Morgan – Pollard had helped himself to sixteen from the over. He then took a liking to Shaun Udal’s bowling, hitting a huge six that almost hit Middlesex’s balcony. Trego hit one too that just cleared the midwicket boundary. Nobody could bowl to Pollard in that form.

“We changed our plans half way through after he hit a few big sixes and maybe we should have stuck to our plans,” says Dexter. “I think that’s where we went wrong, maybe stick to a length, because that wicket wasn’t the easiest wicket, so I think maybe we panicked a little and tried to go forward and maybe we should have stuck to a length.”

Pollard reached his fifty with another six over long-on off Malan, but after a single he went for suicidal run and Trego sacrificed his wicket – run out by Gilchrist for 16, which he made from 11 balls with a six and a four. There was no reprieve. De Bruyn made 19 from 18 balls, but the undoubted star of the show was Pollard. Anyone who still doubts the merits of t20 cricket should see Pollard play.