Thornley too doesn’t hold back. “It’s an education watching him go about his job so silently,” he said.

As the crowds moved out of the Wankhede Stadium, feeling a bit cheated after the much-hyped game ended in a damp squib, they remained animated. Mostly, they spoke about Sanath Jayasuriya’s 17-ball 48 and the six he hit off Shoaib Akhtar. A few celebrated star sightings in Shahrukh Khan’s stand.

But none spoke about how Pollock got the wickets of Hussey and Hafeez. A perfectly pitched ball, batsmen in dilemma as to come forward or play back, both edging the ball to slip. Pollock may not be as flamboyant as some of the faster men who have played the game, but he can be successful in cricket’s pop format as well.