The two are the leading wicket-takers for the Barbados-based CPL franchise and both have been selected in the West Indies squad for the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
The Barbados Royals lead the 2022 Hero CPL standings with 16 points having lost only one of the nine games played so far thanks in part to the bowling of Holder, who has so far taken 14 wickets in the tournament, second only to the St Lucia Kings’ Alzarri Joseph, who has 16.
McCoy has taken 13 wickets which puts him tied for third in the standings for most wickets. The former West Indies captain believes that the Vincentian’s bowling talent is among the best he has seen in recent times.
"He's probably one of the most skilled bowlers that we've produced in a very long time, and it is showing - he has been successful around the world,” said Holder of his Royals’ bowling partner in a recent interview with ESPNCricinfo.
“He has played in the IPL, county cricket, he has done well in the Caribbean as well. Again, if he continues to develop, and understands himself, then nobody can really stop him.”
Holder opined that McCoy has all the tools to be even better and he feels obliged to help the young bowler get to the lofty heights.
"He has got the talent and all the deliveries you could think of,” he said indicating that he wants to help as many of the upcoming bowlers as he can.
“So, it is important for me to continue to help them. Whatever they ask, just try to have answers for them. If I don't have answers at a particular time, try my best to find them and help them as much as I can. It's like being a parent.”
The West Indies lost the series 2-1 and relinquished the Wisden Trophy they won in the Caribbean in early 2019.
Holder’s ranking took a hit after his underwhelming showing at Old Trafford where he took only two wickets for 107 runs as the West Indies fell to defeat by 269 runs.
At the end of the second Test that was also played at Old Trafford, Holder had 834 ranking points. However, having underperformed with the ball in the final Test, the Barbadian lost 24 ranking points, which triggered his fall down the rankings.
However, he maintains his number 2 ranking in the all-rounder rankings behind England’s Ben Stokes.
Meanwhile, Kemar Roach, who took his 200th Test wicket in the final Test in which he snared four wickets, collected four ranking points to move up a spot from 16th in the rankings.
Shannon Gabriel holds firm at 19. Chase is at 31.
Holder starred with 4-47 from 17 overs as the Pride restricted the Red Force to 172 all out from just 53.5 overs after the Red Force won the toss.
Amidst the carnage, Amir Jangoo played brilliantly to finish 93* off 159 balls including 14 fours.
Chemar Holder and Shaquille Cumberbatch provided good support for Holder with 3-28 off 10.5 overs and 3-50 off 11 overs, respectively.
At stumps, the Pride reached 99-4 off 35.4 overs. Zachary McCaskie top scored with 46 while captain Kraigg Brathwaite made 30.
Khary Pierre has so far taken 2-18 from 12 overs.
Full Scores: Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 172 off 53.5 overs (Amir Jangoo 93*, Jason Holder 4-47, Chemar Holder 3-28, Shaquille Cumberbatch 3-50)
Barbados Pride 99-4 off 35.4 overs (Zachary McCaskie 46, Kraigg Brathwaite 30, Khary Pierre 2-18)
At Coolidge, leaders Windward Islands Volcanoes trail the Guyana Harpy Eagles by 296 runs at stumps on day one.
Full Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 308 off 80.5 overs (Kevin Sinclair 74, Kevlon Anderson 48, Gudakesh Motie 46, Veerasammy Permaul 30, Darel Cyrus 5-67)
Windward Islands Volcanoes 12-0 off four overs
At Sabina Park, the Jamaica Scorpions were 173-6 off 51.4 overs at stumps.
Full Scores: Jamaica Scorpions 173-6 off 51.4 overs (Carlos Brown 68*, Romaine Morris 42, Jeremiah Louis 3-34, Collin Archibald 2-23)
At the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, Combined Campuses and Colleges trail West Indies Academy by 289 runs at stumps.
Full Scores: West Indies Academy 300 all out off 78.3 overs (Carlon Bowen-Tuckett 76*, Johan Layne 63, Joshua Dorne 36, Joshua Bishop 32, Yannic Ottley 5-47, Jediah Blades 3-59)
Combined Campuses and Colleges 11-1 off five overs
Brathwaite received plenty of plaudits for leading an understrength Windies squad to an unexpected 2-0 Test victory in Bangladesh earlier this year. Brathwaite, who had been axed as vice-captain the series before, was put in charge of the squad after regular captain Holder was one of 12 players to opt-out of the tour after citing health and safety concerns.
Since then, the debate has raged fiercely on both sides regarding whether the panel of selectors should return Holder to his original position or stick with the momentum achieved by Brathwaite in the unexpected win. Wallace falls firmly in the camp supporting the latter.
“I believe that there is a shift with what Brathwaite did in Bangladesh, something happened in Bangladesh that brought a 2-0 victory for the West Indies and 2-0 defeat for Bangladesh at home,” Wallace told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Kraigg Brathwaite and that management team did something right. The head coach said he saw a difference in attitude. He saw a different type of vibe with the guys. Are we going to kill that vibe as we return to Antigua? Or are we going to rekindle that vibe and take it into the Sri Lanka series,” he added.
“Jason has lost the art of captaincy. There are no tactical moves. We just saw a Super50 competition he captained six games and we lost 5. We had a team 87 for 8 and we could not crush them. The captain who is 6ft 6’ could not take up the ball and bowl three devastating yorkers and bowl out the team for under 120. That is what we call leadership, you take it up and you do it yourself.”
Marsh, who was drafted by Sunrisers Hyderabad, was ruled out of the tournament after injuring his ankle in the team’s first match of the season.
As a result, Holder, who will perhaps be looking to make up for a disappointing outing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), has been tipped to make his fourth IPL appearance. It will be the second for the Sunrisers, but he has previously featured for the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Holder, who was replaced as West Indies T20 captain by Kieron Pollard last year, had a base price of INR 75 lakh ($US100,000), in the December IPL auction but went unsold more than once.
In the most recent CPL campaign, he led the Barbados Tridents to a fifth-place finish in the six-team table. Holder scored 192 runs at a strike rate of 140.14, and also picked up ten wickets at an economy rate of 6.63. He will be required to undergo a six-day quarantine before joining up with the rest of the team.
Holder, who was speaking on the Mason&Guest in Barbados on Tuesday, also suggested that because of the constant caustic criticisms, the current players are reluctant to reach out to them for guidance.
Chief among the critics is former fast-bowler Andy Roberts, who just last month, was critical of the West Indies captain, especially after the recent tour of New Zealand where the West Indies lost by an innings in each of the two Test matches.
“I think Jason Holder as a captain on the field is lost,” Roberts said. “I don’t think he’s aware what is going on the field because if I win a toss as a captain and before lunch on a green top pitch I am having a man on the point boundary then I am lost.
“That’s the first thing. His field placing [leaves] a lot to be desired and I believe the time should come where he takes instructions from the coaches who can see the game better than he can.”
Holder responded to those comments and others that have been levelled at him over the past few years since he was appointed captain.
“My disappointment with people like Andy Roberts, I respect them to what they contribute to the game but as former players who done so well, I am sure they have positive contributions to make to West Indies cricket but why go on these platforms and constantly criticize and degrade the product of West Indies cricket?” Holder lamented to host Andrew Mason.
“I feel the former legends comments on West Indies cricket, 99 per cent of the time is negative and when it is an opportunity for them to give encouragement or congratulate players is like they are trying to pick their teeth to find the words, it’s like a hard thing to do.
“As a society in the Caribbean we find it so easy to criticize and we always know the problem but when asked the solution, it’s mind-boggling, people always struggle to find the solutions.”
Holder laid some of the blame for the challenges faced by current players squarely at the feet of the former players citing the fact that because of the constant negative feedback players are reluctant to seek guidance from the former players.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion and the legends, who I respect them for their contribution, I think they can do a lot more into opening up that relationship with players,” he said. “Lots of players frown upon speaking to the legends because they are not approachable.
“We know we are not the greatest side but it would warm my heart to have a conversation with Andy Roberts but it’s often him being critical to the current crop. Pick up the phone and offer that support. I think they need to do a lot better to build the relationship with current players and I think they have a lot to offer to West Indies cricket."
Initially, England and West Indies adopted the anti-racism stance ahead of their three-Test matches in July as part of the worldwide protests following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Sports like the NBA and English Premier League (IPL) have, however, continued the gesture of taking a knee. In cricket, England and Ireland also took the knee in their ODI series, after the West Indies, but that position was shelved when the home side welcomed Pakistan and Australia later in the year.
"I personally was a bit disappointed to see how the Pakistan and Australia tours went on after ours. That they were not showing their solidarity afterwards,” Holder said, after he and his team were given the Cricket Writers' Club's Peter Smith Award for becoming the first international team to tour amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"It's a hard challenge and a long hard road. It's not an overnight fix but the most important thing is we come together and see each other as equal human beings,” he added.
Legendary West Indies bowler turned commentator Michael Holding was critical of the lack of action.
With the second innings wicket of Keegan Petersen with the final ball of the day, Holder took his 150th Test wicket, joining the legendary Sir Garfield Sobers as the only West Indians to take at least 150 wickets and score at least 2500 runs in Tests.
“I guess it hasn’t really sunk in yet,” he told reporters in a press conference after day two.
“Honestly, my inspiration is just the other guys on the field. I was obviously captain at quite a young age and had a good run of it, especially in the Test arena and I thoroughly enjoy this group specifically,” Holder, who captained the West Indies in 32 Tests from 2015-2019, added.
Debuting in 2014, the 31-year-old has amassed 2644 runs at an average of 28.73 with three hundreds and eleven fifties in his 61 Tests. His highest Test score, 202*, came against England in 2019 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
With the ball, Holder has taken 151 wickets at 28.98 including eight five-wicket hauls.
One might ask the question: How did this take so long when he debuted all the way back in 2014?
“It’s a tough one man. I think the way world cricket is going now, apart from the big three, everybody else is barely playing any Test cricket,” said Holder.
“We’ve averaged, in the last three years, maybe six to eight Test matches a year. This year we’ve got six and next year will be around six as well so, it was a slow grind,” he added before comparing the Test appearances of current West Indies Captain Kraigg Brathwaite and former England skipper Joe Root to further emphasize the point.
Brathwaite, who debuted against Pakistan in May 2011, has played 84 Tests while Root, who made his debut against India in December of 2012, has played 129 Tests.
Fit-again quick Gabriel took 5-75 – giving him match figures of 9-137 - to bowl England out for 313 and leave the tourists needing 200 for victory on the final day at the Rose Bowl.
West Indies were in deep trouble on 27-3 with John Campbell having retired hurt due to a toe injury, but Blackwood and Roston Chase (37) put on 73 for the fourth wicket.
Recalled batsman Blackwood fell for a classy and mature 95, but Campbell returned to hit the winning runs on a gripping Sunday behind closed doors in Southampton.
Holder was full of praise for his side after they secured victory in the first international fixture since the coronavirus pandemic brought sport to a halt.
The Windies captain told Test Match Special: "I'm really happy. The boys have worked hard and it's good to see it pay off.
"I'm happy that Gabriel came back well and Blackwood too. They put their hands up and led the charge.
"It was a nerve-wracking start after losing quick three wickets and Campbell to injury. But Roston and Jermaine put on a good partnership and settled the nerves. From there we could build on.
"I missed the Barmy Army. But it was a level playing field without the crowds. It's been a good start back to international cricket, it sets the series up quite nicely."
The second Test begins at the bio-secure bubble of Old Trafford on Thursday, with West Indies eyeing a first series win in England since 1988.
Roach reached the milestone of 200 Test wickets during day two of the third match against England. In the process, the player became the first West Indian in 26 years and 9th overall to achieve the feat. The list is headed by Courtney Walsh who once held the world record with 519 wickets.
“200 wickets, definitely in the top ten West Indies fast bowlers of all-time in terms of his stats,” Holder told members of the media via a Zoom hosted press conference on Tuesday. The team captain was then quick to point out Roach’s exceptional attitude on the field.
“You just always see the effort he puts in on the cricket field. I just can’t think of any time I’ve ever called on Kemar and he has said no, or he is not up for it. He always keeps running in and giving it a massive effort. I am not surprised Kemar has produced what he has so far,” he added.
The series began in difficult fashion for Roach. The pace bowler, despite crafting excellent, economic spells, had failed to claim a wicket for the entire first Test. In fact, Roach’s dismissal of Ben Stokes, in the second Test, ended a wicket drought going back to August 31, 2019, and lasting 521 deliveries, or 86.5 overs.
List of top West Indies Test wicket-getters
(The 200 wickets club)
CA Walsh (132) 519
CEL Ambrose (98) 405
MD Marshall (81) 376
LR Gibbs (79) 309
J Garner (58) 259
MA Holding (60) 249
GS Sobers (93) 235
AME Roberts (90) 202
KAJ Roach (106) 201
There are periods where the team is clicking at all levels, as evidenced by a dominant 4-1 T20I series win over Australia in July 2021 but there are also periods where the team just can’t seem to buy a win.
The Caribbean side are currently locked 1-1 in a five-match T20I series with England and Jason Holder, in a press conference today, pleaded for the team to strive for consistency.
“We’ve just got to keep challenging ourselves to play a complete game. If we can be a lot more clinical and consistent, we can make our lives a whole lot easier. The challenge for each and every individual is to seek consistency. I think consistency is something that we’ve been talking about for years and it’s just time we start heading in the right direction and progressing. I just want to see progression and development, consistently,” he said.
The former West Indies Test and ODI skipper, who has so far taken figures of 4-7 and 2-25, in the first two games of the series, also said that with a relatively young squad, he has to take on a leadership role even without the captaincy.
“I just try to give anything to the team that I think will benefit us. We have a relatively inexperienced group so I just try to help out as much as I can and give what advice I can give. I don’t think it’s a situation where I have to give too much information because that becomes clouded for individuals, so I keep it as simple as possible. Anything I pick up I pass it on to the captain and then obviously to individual players but I think my role is just to help guide and nurture the young talent that we have,” Holder added.
There are three games remaining in the series, but Holder wants the team to take a game-by-game approach rather than looking to the future too soon.
“I’m just focused on what’s ahead tomorrow. Tomorrow is our next encounter so there’s no point in looking at the last three matches before we get to the one tomorrow,” he said.
In the second T20I the regional team’s fielding left a lot to be desired and Holder echoed the same sentiments.
“I don’t think we were good enough in the field in the last encounter and that probably hurt us in the end,” Holder added.
The West Indies can, hopefully, have a better day in the field tomorrow when they take on England in the third T20I at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
The talismanic West Indies all-rounder was presented with his special edition, leather-bound Wisden Cricket Almanack – the prize for being named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year for 2021.
At the time of the award Holder was the Number one ranked all-rounder in the World in Test Cricket. During the tour of England, he also took six for 42 in England’s first innings at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton’s to set up a memorable victory for West Indies in the first Test.
In a brief ceremony at the Grenada National Stadium, Holder was handed the book by teammate Shai Hope, who was one of Wisden’s five Players of the Year in 2018. In 2017, he made back-to-back centuries to lead West Indies to a famous Test match win over England at Headingley.
They are among a list of outstanding West Indies players who have received the prestigious accolade.
Wisden is the game’s most prestigious and recognizable publication has been naming its Five Cricketers of the Year since 1889, making it the oldest individual award in any sport and this outstanding recognition is presented to players who excelled in the game.
Captain Holder saw his team slump to a 269-run defeat in the decider against England at Old Trafford, losing the series 2-1 but thankful to have been allowed to tour at all.
His verdict was that it had "been a blessing to come over here and get some cricket", albeit acknowledging the future was "so uncertain" as to when cricket can return to normal.
The West Indies and England teams have been confined to bio-secure environments, staying in on-site accommodation, meaning their freedom of movement has been curtailed over the past month.
Each match has been played behind closed doors, too, with players unable to feed off the energy of a crowd.
Holder, speaking at the end of the third Test, said: "It's been challenging, it's been really challenging. Mentally some of the guys are a bit worn out.
"It could be this way for a little while so we've got to find ways to make it work.
"Hopefully things could ease up throughout the world and probably guys can get out of the hotel a little bit more, but it has been challenging for sure."
He added in a news conference: “We've been kept indoors for the last two months. The guys haven't seen a bit of real life for a bit.
“It's tough to constantly get up, you're here, you open your curtains and you just see the cricket ground. You're not hopping on the bus as you normally do."
West Indies made a great start to their tour with a win at the Rose Bowl, but England found form in Manchester with back-to-back Old Trafford successes, inspired by the likes of Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad.
Holder's team conceded first-innings leads of 182 in the second Test and 172 in the series decider, and such batting disappointed the skipper.
"I felt the wickets were good enough for us to put a bigger first-innings effort in both Test matches," he said on Sky Sports.
"If you look at our batting performance, we had plenty of starts, quite a few guys got half-centuries, got into the forties and thirties but didn't kick on.
"The difference with England is when Stokes got in he went big, when [Dom] Sibley got in he went big; unfortunately we didn't do that."
Brathwaite, who has previously led the team in seven Tests whilst deputizing for Holder, including the recent 2-0 Test Series win away to Bangladesh, becomes the 37th Test Captain of the West Indies.
Holder, the current No.1 all-rounder in the ICC Test rankings, captained the West Indies team in 37 Tests since taking over from Denesh Ramdin in 2015, leading the side to 11 wins, 5 draws and 21 defeats.
“On behalf of CWI, I would like to thank Jason for all he has given to the game in the region while serving as Captain of our Test team,” said Jimmy Adams, CWI Director of Cricket.
“Throughout his five-and-a-half-year tenure, he has led with dignity while always upholding the highest values of the sport. As the world’s leading Test all-rounder, we all believe that Jason still has a tremendous role to play in West Indies Test Cricket for many years to come.”
Meanwhile, Chief Selector Roger Harper said Brathwaite has proven he is worthy of the captaincy of the Test team.
“We all believe that Kraigg is the right man to lead our Test side at this point in time and I’m delighted that he has accepted the role,” Harper said.
“In the recent Test series against Bangladesh, Kraigg was able to motivate his players to play to a very high level and create the culture we are looking to establish where the team showed a collective determination to fight and a real hunger for success.”
Brathwaite said he was looking forward to leading the team going forward.
“It is a huge honour to be given the captaincy of the West Indies Test team,” he said.
“I feel extremely proud and humbled that the Board and Selectors have given me the opportunity and responsibility to lead the team. The recent Test Series win in Bangladesh was a fantastic achievement and I’m really looking forward to the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka and I’m excited about what I believe this team can achieve in the future.”
The squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka will be announced tomorrow during the interval of the second CGI Insurance ODI at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (SVRS).
The 29-year-old all-rounder has seen his stock rise in cricket’s shortest format over the last couple of months, following a strong performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Holder was signed as a replacement but played a crucial role in the team securing a third-place finish.
The all-rounder, who is currently with the West Indies for its ongoing tour of New Zealand, will not be available for the Sixers until their December 20 clash with the Adelaide Strikers in Hobart. He is expected to then take part in a December 26 fixture against the Melbourne Stars and the December 29 matchup with the Melbourne Renegades. For his part, Holder was excited about the move.
"I'm really excited to be coming to the BBL and in particular the Sydney Sixers. I've wanted to for a few years now and this year I have the opportunity to come in and make some appearances and hopefully do a bit for the Sixers," he said.
"BBL cricket is an interest for me and the Sixers have been successful over the past few years. Moises and I played together at Sunrisers and I really enjoyed that. It will be good to do it again."
Holder will also be joining up with former West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite at the club.
Holder’s three wickets for 36 runs, included the scalp of fellow West Indians Dwayne Bravo (two) and Akeal Hosein (seven), as well as Will Smeed (five), as Pooran’s MI Emirates, were restricted to 159-9, before being put to the sword by Dubai Capitals, who easily got to 160-3 with four overs to spare.
Scores: MI Emirates 159-9 (20 overs); Dubai Capitals 160-3 (16 overs)
Zimbabwe’s spinner Sikandar Raza also bagged three wickets for 21 runs from his four overs for the Capitals and was later named Man-of-the-Match, as his combination with Holder offered the opponents very little room to play their shots.
In fact, apart from opener Muhammad Waseem’s 26-ball 51 which included four sixes and two fours, only Andre Fletcher (30), Pooran (21) and Australian Tim David (27), got into double figures for MI Emirates, who were sent to bat by Dubai Capitals captain David Warner.
Fletcher had two sixes and three fours in his 18-ball knock, while Pooran had a solitary six and four in his 23-ball innings.
The Capitals run chase started shakily, as they lost Warner (one) with 15 runs on the board.
However, Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz (81) and 21-year-old Australian Jake Fraser-McGurk (54), steadied the innings with a 114-run second-wicket stand that erased whatever hopes MI Emirates had of securing victory.
Gurbaz slammed four sixes and eight fours in his 39-ball knock, while Fraser-McGurk, who was brought in for Paul Van Meekeren, had four sixes and four fours in his innings which used a mere 25 balls.
After both fell, Englishman Sam Billings (13 not out), and West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell (seven not out), saw the Capitals to victory.
New Zealand’s left-arm seamer Trent Boult led the Emirates bowling with two for 23 from four overs.
Holder, the top-ranked Test all-rounder in the world, typically bats at 8th. So far, the majority of his contributions have been with the ball, but he has shown he can do plenty of damage for the team with the bat as well.
In fact, his highest score of 202 unbeaten came just last year against England but the player is yet to demonstrate a level of high consistency with the willow. Bradshaw insists the player’s improvement should be a process.
“I’ve said before he needs to move up the order, eighth and so forth was too low and that was based on the facts, when you look at how well he was batting and his average compared to the rest of the batting unit. He was one of better batsmen so he is a wasted talent batting at eight,” Bradshaw told the Mason and Guest Radio program.
“Ideally I’d like to see him get to six. I believe he has the talent, but if it’s a gradual process then I don’t have a problem with it. It depends on the balance and structure of the team,” he added.
“What we must do is to get our top five in the order correct. So that a guy like Jason, Dowrich, and so forth, they can come and build on strong starts. We are not going to win games when we are 60 for 4 in Test matches consistently. So, those are the critical things we must put together.”
This time around, the West Indies skipper made it to five, with his innings lasting just 13 deliveries. The disappointment at the crease followed on the all-rounder’s golden duck in the first internal match that ended in a draw last week.
In addition to time away from the pitch, Holder has recently been bothered by what is thought to be a mild ankle injury. Despite claims that he has not been hampered by it, Holder has looked less than comfortable at the crease. In fact, he could have departed a lot sooner had Preston McSween held on to a relatively straightforward chance when the Windies skipper nudged the second ball of his innings to midwicket. Holder had yet to score at the time.
Earlier, intermittent showers had wiped out the first four sessions of the four-day fixture but eased in time to allow play to start at 2:20 pm under lights. Holder and Jermaine Blackwood were, unfortunately, part of a top-order collapse that saw Holder's side go from 79-1 to 108-5 against a Kraigg Brathwaite-led XI, before ending the day 120-5 when bad light stopped play.
Holder did not bowl on Thursday when his team fielded for the second innings of the match. He was also not required to bat. However, head coach Phil Simmons offered assurances that the allrounder would be fine.
"Jason has had a slight niggle on his ankle and that is what has held him back from bowling,” Simmons said. “He will be back to bowling in the four-day game and should be bowling his full quota. As for the batting, if you get one ball and you’re out, that’s all you can do.”
Simmons also provided some positive news on fast bowler Shannon Gabriel who is returning to first-team action following ankle surgery.
“He looks ready, that was evident here. When you see how he bowled in the first innings, then again yesterday (Wednesday) and even more so this morning (Thursday) you could see he's close to 100 per cent. Now we want to get him up to 100 just before the Test match.”
West Indies will have a four-day warm-up match starting June 30 at Emirates Old Trafford, before they travel down to Southampton for the first match at the Ageas Bowl, starting July 8.
The Windies won a close opening contest by four wickets, with a crucial 95 from Jermaine Blackwood helping the tourists get over the line on day five.
Broad, who has 485 Test wickets and impressed in South Africa at the end of last year, was left out of the line-up in Southampton by stand-in captain Ben Stokes.
Stokes also elected to bat first in overcast conditions, a move that came under scrutiny after England managed just 204 in their first innings.
West Indies captain Holder thought Broad would have played instead of either Jofra Archer or Mark Wood and was happy when Stokes opted to bat after winning the toss.
"This is a proud moment for us," Holder said in a column for the Daily Mail. "We really wanted to start this Test series well and to begin the way we have by winning the first Test is perfect.
"Looking back at the game, it was my preference to bowl first so I didn't mind England deciding to bat and then our bowlers simply bowled their hearts out on a pretty flat pitch.
"I was a little surprised England didn't pick Stuart Broad.
"His record, particularly in this country, is outstanding and I thought they would leave out either Jofra Archer or Mark Wood. But they put out a high quality attack, that's for sure.
"As it went on it became close to the complete West Indian performance. There's no doubt the game changer was that fourth afternoon when we took five wickets after tea.
"Then we were able to finish it off on the last day. It's been a while since we had Shannon Gabriel on the park due to injury so to see him back firing on all cylinders was brilliant.
"We were always confident we would get 200 to win but losing three quick wickets and John Campbell to injury wasn't ideal.
"But the partnership between Jermaine Blackwood and Roston Chase was just what we wanted and it was really good to see Jermaine going as deep as he did.
"This was a career-reviving innings for Jermaine. He's a very exciting player and he grabbed this opportunity with both hands."
The second Test at Old Trafford, for which Joe Root will return as the hosts' captain following the birth of his second child, starts on Thursday, with West Indies knowing they will retain the Wisden Trophy if they avoid defeat.
