West Indies deny rift between Kieron Pollard and Odean Smith

Head coach Phil Simmons and Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt have both denied allegations of ‘victimisation’ within the national set-up

West Indies have denied reports of a rift between skipper Kieron Pollard and allrounder Odean Smith.

Smith bowled just one over in the first T20I and was unused in the second before being replaced in the XI by Rovman Powell on January 26.

Both head coach Phil Simmons and Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt have rubbished the claims, with Skerritt calling them "a malicious attack on the credibility of the West Indies captain."

Their statements come in response to a voicenote received by members of the sports media following the third T20I which labelled the relationship between Pollard and Smith as "not the best" and predicted Pollard’s leadership would "come under the microscope."

Asked about the allegations in a press conference on January 28, Simmons said: "For me, that can't happen when I'm here. You don't victimise anyone. You don't try to pull down anyone. You try to make players a better person first of all, and a better cricketer afterwards.

^{Rovman Powell replaced Odean Smith in the XI for the third T20s [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]}

"In my coaching career and even in my playing career, you look to help the man next to you. And that's one thing I've been preaching in this team, and in all the teams that I've dealt with. So, there is no such thing as victimisation here and there will be none as long as I'm around.

"We sit down and we look at the best team for the day. And if Odean wasn't in the best team for the day, it is because we thought that Rovman was better suited for [the third T20I].

"All those who want to sit out there and preach about victimisation, I think they need to look within themselves. There's no victimisation in selection in West Indies cricket, and there's no victimisation in this team in playing anyone."

In a separate statement, Skerritt added: "I view this as a malicious attack on the credibility of the West Indies captain, designed to sow division within our team.

"This clear attempt by well-known mischief-makers to discredit the captain and to derail the team's momentum in the ongoing T20I series should not be tolerated or encouraged."

West Indies currently lead the five-match T20I series 2-1, with the two remaining matches taking place in Bridgetown on January 29 and 30.