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Little 'shocked' With Jayawardenes Exit From MI, Pollard Can Be A Successor, Says Pamment

Former Mumbai Indians: Former Mumbai Indians fielding coach James Pamment said he was a little bit shocked over Mahela Jayawardene stepping down as the franchise's head coach and backed Kieron Pollard to take over the role. Last week, Jayawardene stepped down as MI head coach, which ended his second stint in charge of the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, after having guided them to three titles during his first spell from 2017 to 2022. Pamment, who worked alongside Jayawardene at MI while being there for eight years, said he had not seen this development coming. I was a little bit shocked actually when I saw at the weekend that Mahela had decided to step down. I enjoyed a lot of years working alongside Mahela. So passionate about Mumbai Indians, so passionate about the performance of the team as well. He was so passionate about helping develop the players, especially the Indian players to go on and be significant players to play for India as well, which a number of those guys are now when coming on this trip to New Zealand. So, I was surprised. I'm sort of out of the loop now. So, I'm not sure what the inner workings are - so let's see, Pamment told IANS in an exclusive conversation. He also felt Pollard, the big-hitting batter who began his IPL playing career at MI and began his coaching career as the franchises batting coach, does stand out among the potential candidates. Really, other than Kieron Pollard, I'm not sure who could take over. There's been lots of names mentioned, but for me, if Kieron feels he's ready to take it on, he'd be the man I'd give the job to. But I've heard about (Mike) Hussey, or this, that and the other people But there's a guy there who bleeds blue and gold. He started his coaching career there and once again, if he can put the good people around him, I think he's a guy who would have respect from the players. He's definitely got the knowledge about playing T20 cricket, especially in the IPL. But let's see - the owners might have something else in mind, added Pamment. MI have less than a month to appoint a new head coach before the retention deadline for IPL 2027 arrives ahead of the mini auction happening in Goa on December 16. Zaheer, who worked with Jayawardene as director of cricket operations at MI, has begun his role at the helm of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after long-serving head coach Stephen Fleming left. It is the former India fast bowler's first head coach role and Pamment felt the timing will help Zaheer have a key say in shaping the squad retention and auction picks. It's going to be an interesting time for Zaheer here with Chennai. So, I'm looking forward to seeing how he goes. Retentions and squad building is something that is really important. I guess it's your foundation for your season ahead. So, if they feel they need to make changes and they need to have some additions, then this is a really important time to try and get the players on board that you feel that you need. It is the former India fast bowler's first head coach role and Pamment felt the timing will help Zaheer have a key say in shaping the squad retention and auction picks. It's going to be an interesting time for Zaheer here with Chennai. So, I'm looking forward to seeing how he goes. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Article Source: IANS