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Watch: When Kieron Pollard taped his mouth in silent protest

Pollard tape
by Wisden Staff 3 minute read

Watch: Kieron Pollard, who never ceases to entertain on a field, was at the centre of one of the most bizarre incidents in IPL history during a 2015 game when he responded to a remark by the umpires by taping his mouth.

Pollard was unusually active on the field during the MI-RCB game at Bengaluru in 2015, walking around Chris Gayle in an attempt to build some pressure on the chasing team. The on-field umpires – Richard Illingworth and Vineet Kulkarni, weren’t too impressed with the antics, and rapped him for getting into the batsmen’s ear between overs.

Pollard was visibly unimpressed by the umpire, shaking his head in disagreement as the cameras panned on him.

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In an unusual turn of events, Pollard went to the dugout between overs, and emerged with a taped-up mouth, presumably as a sign of protest against the umpires. The commentary box burst into laughter, and the Mumbai Indians fielders couldn’t hide their smile too, but Pollard kept a poker face throughout, letting the practical joke make the statement.

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For those who weren’t sure, Harbhajan Singh later clarified that Pollard’s reaction wasn’t in bad taste. “He likes doing things like that,” Harbhajan, Pollard’s MI teammate, later said. “IPL brings the best flavours of the West Indies boys and there was something very different and unique which was in a good taste.”

Watch the incident here:

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