West Indies captain Kieron Pollard believes not having Fabian Allen in his side for the ICCT20 World Cup is a major blow but believes his replacement will acquit himself well.

The West Indies bow into World Cup action this morning against England as it begins the defense of the title they won in spectacular fashion against the same opponents five years ago, and while he still has a lot of talent at his disposal, not having the multi-skilled Jamaican at his disposal is not something Pollard would have wanted.

He’s a big miss!” Pollard said of Allen’s unavailability while addressing media on Friday.

“Obviously, he was part of our plans throughout the entire home season. He’s an exciting player, we know what he can do with the bat in the back end, the way he’s electric in the field and of course his bowling. He’s done a pretty decent job for us when he’s gotten that opportunity, so yes, he’s a big miss. It’s very, very unfortunate for him, he’s a young guy looking forward to play in his first T20 World Cup, but that’s the nature of sports and as a team it’s something we tend to bounce off pretty quickly and not sort of let those things keep us down.”

Notwithstanding, he expressed confidence in young Trinidadian spinner Akeal Hosein, who replaces Allen in the squad.

“We’ve got an able replacement in Akeal Hosein who has done himself a great deal of good with his performances in the CPL and in international cricket and ODI cricket,” Pollard said.

“Yes, he’s young in his career but he takes on the mantle of bowling some difficult overs previously, so let’s see what he can give to us and we’re looking forward to the performances of all our spinners, bowlers and everyone.”

Meanwhile, Pollard said the team continues to be motivated by the heroic exploits of Carlos Brathwaite five years ago when a West Indies victory seemed improbable.

With the West Indies needing 19 runs from the final over bowled by Ben Stokes, Brathwaite smashed four consecutive sixes to complete a remarkable victory.

“What Carlos did in those four deliveries, in that last over, it’s unbelievable.  It’s something we saw as a team last night and it brought goosebumps back to us,” Pollard said.

“For us to be in that situation and get over the line, it shows that never say die attitude.  As a team, we hope to replicate winning the entire tournament, and those kinds of moments, they stick with us.  Hopefully, we can go out and play good enough cricket to get back in that kind of position, so we can be in another final and have some memories going forward.

“I don’t think it will have much bearing on the game (against England) because it’s another game of cricket and that situation was totally different it being a final, but we are looking to come out and give a good account of ourselves.”