The 22-year-old made his debut under difficult conditions in New Zealand, earlier this month, performing creditably despite a heavy loss for the West Indies. Holder ended with figures of 2 for 110, with one maiden, but often providing some testing deliveries despite not claiming more wickets.
For next month's tour, despite 12 first-team players opting not to take part in the series, there is no space in the Bangladesh Test squad for Holder. One of the players missing is West Indies captain Jason Holder, who typically makes up part of a pace bowling quartet alongside Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, and Alzarri Joseph.
Some believe Holder would have proved a suitable replacement for his namesake, but Cricket West Indies chief of selectors Roger Harper pointed out that the player had been excluded for a spinner, considering the spin-friendly nature of pitches in Asia.
Ambrose, however, does not agree and pointed out that it is crucial the young fast bowler, having shown promise, be given the opportunity to excel in all kinds of conditions.
“That to me is utter nonsense. I can’t support that. If you want to be a top-class international cricketer, you have to be able to bowl on all surfaces, in all conditions anywhere you go,” Ambrose said.
“To me, that type of reason does not hold any water, it is disappointing. Having made his debut in New Zealand and done fairly well on his debut, he is full of confidence, he is one of the guys for the future in my view. To be left out of the Test squad to me was a big surprise…Don’t tell me because it’s a spin-friendly environment that you are going to, you want to walk with 10 spinners, that to me makes no sense.”
The players were among the 292 announced who have been shortlisted based on interest shown by the IPL franchises and represent about 30 per cent of the actual numbers of Caribbean players who had enrolled for the draft.
In addition to the three aforementioned players, Oshane Thomas, Chemar Holder and Obed McCoy were also shortlisted along with Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd and Kyle Mayers.
Sheldon Cottrell, Fabian Allen and Keemo Paul also made the cut as well as Carlos Brathwaite, Sherfane Rutherford, and Shannon Gabriel.
Jayden Seales, Fidel Edwards, Alzarri Joseph, Jon Ross Jaggesar complete the list of West Indies who will be hoping for lucrative contracts in the coming draft.
A total of 1097 players had registered for the 2021 IPL Draft.
The 22-year-old Holder who took 36 wickets during the recent West Indies Championships tells Sportsmax.TV that while he was growing up, the lanky Antiguan great was one of his heroes.
“From (I was) young it was Sir Curtly. Even now it’s Sir Curtly. I met him a few times. We spoke and he gave me some good advice so I am still working hard at my game every time I play and I take his advice in every game,” Holder told Sportsmax.TV.
He also reveals the best bit of advice he has received from the now-retired fast-bowling great, which he said came in handy in a couple of games this past season.
“The best advice he gave me is that every day is not going to be the same. You will come one day and bowl good and only get one wicket, or you might not get any and then you will come another day and think that you’re struggling and end up taking five wickets, so just keep working hard and take the game seriously all the time,” Holder revealed.
That advice he said served him well in the Barbados Pride’s first game against the Windward Islands Volcanoes in St. Vincent when his length was off and then against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in St Kitts where he struggled with his run up.
He failed to take a wicket against the Volcanoes and only three against the Hurricanes.
On Wednesday, her grandson, Chemar Holder, received a call from Cricket West Indies for his first tour with the men’s senior team that will play three Tests in England starting July 8.
For Holder, the leading pace bowler in the West Indies Championships that concluded in March, it was a dream come true.
“It was a good feeling yesterday (Wednesday) when I got the call to know that I was included in the 15. It was something that I was always looking forward to and now I have got the opportunity to represent my country,” he said.
Holder, 22, took 36 wickets at a healthy average of 18.91 during the championships that was ended with two rounds to go because of the Coronavirus pandemic, leaving him just four wickets shy of the target he had set at the start of the season.
Nonetheless, the West Indies selectors rewarded him with a place in the senior squad that is set to play the ‘bio-secure’ Tests series.
“Chemar Holder is an exciting young fast bowling talent who is coming off an excellent domestic First-Class season. He should enjoy bowling in English conditions. He could prove a real asset to the team in England,” said Roger Harper, Cricket West Indies Chief Selector.
Coming from a cricket-loving family, Holder has always enjoyed their support.
“If things are not going well, they all talk to me, tell me to keep my head up, everything is not going to be the same,” he said. “So I always get support from them, especially my grandmother, who passed away. She was always my big supporter.
“She stayed up all night and watched me during the U19 World Cup. Every time I play I remember her so she would be happy to find out this news if she was alive today.”
Marva Holder passed away in 2016 at the age of 72.
Holder, 21, sharing the new ball with West Indies pacer Kemar Roach, bowled with pace and hostility, undermining the Scorpions batting for the second time in the match and paving the way for a commanding victory for the Pride on the third day of third-round matches in the Championship.
Holder bagged 6-47 from 14.3 overs to follow up his first-innings five-wicket blast and ended with match figures of 11-92, making him a shoo-in for the Player of the Match award.
Chasing 288 for victory, the Scorpions never recovered after they slumped to 37 for four before lunch.
Nkrumah Bonner led the way with 39 and Denis Smith, the former Volcanoes wicketkeeper/batsman from Grenada, added 26, but no other batsman reached 20.
The most defiant period for the Scorpions was a 49-run stand for the seventh wicket between Smith and Derval Green, which carried them past 100, but there was to be no comeback story for the hosts.
The result gave Pride their second successive win for the season and a haul of 18.8 points, and Scorpions failed to fashion an escape plan on the third time of asking this season, slumping to their first defeat after they drew their first two matches.
Earlier, there was token resistance from the Pride tail-enders after the visitors resumed from their overnight total of 179 for six.
Pride added 27 before they were bowled out inside the first half-hour, but no batsman reached 20.
Scorpions pacer Nicholson Gordon claimed three of the last four wickets to finish with a career-best 6-45 from 15 overs.
Scores: Pride (219) & (206) beat Scorpions (138) & (168) by 119 runs at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica
That he has already represented the West Indies ‘A’ and President’s XI sides, is a clear indicator that he has the eyes of Chief Selector Roger Harper and Cricket West Indies’ selection panel. However, he remains coy about his chances of breaking into the senior team.
“Based on how the season went for me, how the year went for me, I did well in the ‘A’ team also, I can’t say for sure if I am ready. I could only say the confidence is there and I am feeling good and I am bowling well, so once I get the opportunity I will see how it goes,” said the 22-year-old pacer whose 36 wickets came at an average of 18.91.
Notwithstanding his position on stepping up into the West Indies senior team, Holder believes he would have met his goals for this past season had it not been for CWI’s decision to cancel the remaining two rounds of competition while handing his team, the Barbados Pride, the title.
“I am quite happy with the number of wickets I took this season because at the beginning of the season I set myself a target which was 40 and to finish with 36 knowing that they had two games left, I believe I would have got my target or go over 40. Anything over 40 was a bonus for me,” said Holder, who had a return match against the Jamaica Scorpions against whom he took a match-winning 11 for 92 when the teams played at Sabina Park in January.
Holder, who has 76 first-class wickets to his name, credits improved control for his success this past season.
“I have improved in my line and length and also being consistent throughout my spells and finished strong in every spell I bowled this season,” he said.
The nature of the pitches across the region was also encouraging.
“Some of the wickets this season were pretty good,” he said. “I find that there was a lot more grass on them this season than last season. Some were still fairly slow but some were better than others, so I would say the pitches were good this season. The batters had a good pitch to bat on and the bowlers had a good pitch to bowl on so I wouldn’t say anybody’s mind would have been turned off the pitches this season.”
Playing against the Barbados Pride at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, the Volcanoes find themselves 325 runs in arrears on the final day with seven second-innings wickets in hand.
The situation was created, first by Kyle Mayers’ fabulous batting in the Barbados middle order with his 140 helping the Pride to 417. The Volcanoes had no answer, as, despite half centuries from kavem Hodge, 53, and Andre Fletcher, 52, Chemar Holder’s 5-73 restricted them to 258.
From there, they were in real trouble, as the Pride would bat again to put on 239-4 in just 56 overs. Mayers, again, played a big part in the outcome, slamming 62 off just 43 balls to give the Pride time to bowl out the Volcanoes for a second time.
Justin Greaves, 53, Shayne Moseley, 60, and Kraigg Brathwaite, 49, also contributed to the scoreline.
Batting a second time, the Volcanoes are 73-3, with Roland Cato, 22, Hodge, nought, and Andre Fletcher, four, already back in the pavilion.
The not-out batsmen, tasked with the duty of batting out the day for the Volcanoes include Smith, who came to the crease at number five on Saturday, is now not out on 16. Alick Athanaze is the other man at the crease, he is on a patient 21 from 80 deliveries.
At stumps, WI Best ‘B’ are 44-4 from the 15 overs they faced, 220 runs behind WI Best ‘A’ who scored 264 all out.
Blackwood led from the front scoring 85 while Shai Hope got 79 as the WI Best A got to 254 for 5 before collapsing to 264 all. Roston Chase did the late damage taking 4-44 from 11.3 overs.
Earlier, Chemar Holder took 3 for 44, to keep the batters in check after John Campbell and Hope got the WI Best A to a fast start, racing to 47-0 after just 10 overs with Jayden Searles and Preston McSween bearing the brunt of the onslaught.
Chemar Holder broke the partnership with the score at 62 when he got Campbell for 20.
Darren Bravo and Hope added 42 before Holder dismissed Bravo for seven and Kyle Mayers in consecutive deliveries as WI Best A slipped to 104 for 3.
At 123 for 3, Searles for Hope for 79.
Meanwhile, Blackwood, who was on eight when Hope got out, put together a 54-run stand with Joshua Da Silva, who was eventually bowled by Jomel Warrican for 13.
Kavem Hodge and Blackwood then took the score to 254 when the captain fell for 85 and triggered a collapse as Chase knifed through the lower order and saw the side lose their last five wickets for 10 runs.
When the B side batted, they lost Kieran Powell for 22, Shayne Moseley for 1, Nkrumah Bonner for a duck and Shamarh Brooks for 13 as Keon Harding took 2-23, Nial Smith 1-5 and Shannon Gabriel 1-15.
Harding, the leading bowler for champions West Indies Emerging Players in the Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup this past November, grabbed 4-77 from 16 overs and Holder, the former West Indies Under-19 World Cup-winning pacer, snared 3-63 from 18.1 overs.
Vishaul Singh added 23 to his overnight score to end with the top score of 79 for the Jags – now placed fourth – and put on 68 for the fourth wicket with Barbados-born, fellow left-hander Raymon Reifer.
But there was little resistance from the rest of the batting once Reifer was caught behind off Holder for 31 from a loose drive and Singh was caught at gully off the same bowler, also essaying a drive.
A stand of 38 for the sixth wicket between Anthony Bramble and Chandrapaul Hemraj either side of lunch stemmed the fall of wickets for almost 45 minutes.
But Harding had Bramble caught at first slip for 19 and hastened the end with the scalps of Hemraj for 42, Veerasammy Permaul and Nial Smith in quick succession before Holder bowled tail-ender Keon Joseph to bring the innings to a close at 258, a lead of 78.
Chasing 79 for victory, Pride lost the scalps of opener Shayne Moseley, their captain and West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite and Player of the Match Jonathan Carter before Shamarh Brooks turned part-time left-arm spinner Hemraj into mid-wicket for a single to formalise the result about a half-hour after tea to move into third place.
Pride had not beaten Jaguars in a Championship match on home soil since a 93-run victory in March 2013; and they have not beaten their opponents in the PCL era since November 2014, when they won by two runs in a tense finish at the Guyana National Stadium.
Scores: Barbados 389 and 79-3, Guyana Jaguars 209 and 258.
The reply, anchored by Will Young’s unbeaten 80 from 161 balls, left the Kiwis still some 322 runs short of the Windies’ mammoth first innings total of 571. New Zealand resumed day 3 at 45 without loss and pushed on to 100 before spinner Rahkeem Cornwall got the breakthrough, with the lbw dismissal of Rachin Ravindra.
Ten overs later, his opening partner Henry Cooper also departed the scene after being trapped lbw off the bowling of Holder. He left the crease having tallied a patient 54 in close to 200 minutes. Joe Carter was next to bat but did not last long. He only faced eight deliveries, making one run, before being caught behind by Shane Dowrich off Holder.
West Indies captain Jason Holder then got in on the act with a delivery that caught Ken McClure lbw just before tea. McClure made 20 runs and faced 53 deliveries. New Zealand A captain Cole McConchie, however, partnered with Young to steady the ship before bad light ended the day’s play.
In the aftermath of the recent squad selection for the West Indies tour of Bangladesh, plenty of eyebrows were raised not only due to the absence of 12 first team players but following the non-selection of promising young fast bowler Chemar Holder for the Test cricket squad.
The team has the typical fast-bowling trio of Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, and Alzarri Joseph but with captain Jason Holder opting out of the tour, many thought Chemar would have been a natural replacement, particularly after a promising debut in difficult circumstances last month.
Cricket West Indies chief of selectors Clive Lloyd, however, explained that the panel had chosen to include more spinners at the expense of Holder, due to the nature of spin-friendly surfaces in Bangladesh. Lloyd believes the decision could cost the young bowler valuable experience.
“These guys need to play in those countries where it’s not that helpful and you learn to bowl a better line and length,” Lloyd told the Mason and Guest radio show.
“On the dead pitches, someone like (Collin) Croft would still be disconcerting. He would be getting it up into your neck. The point is that our fast bowlers bowled well on any kind of wicket,” he added.
“Our bowlers were not deterred by slow pitches and that is what our youngsters have to learn, to bowl on pitches that are not responsive. Dennis Lille, when he realized the pitch was not helping, he would cut down his run and bowl a different kind of delivery, cutters, and so on and make you think about your cricket. So did Richard Hadlee, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, all these guys would have learned to bowl on wickets that are not responsive. If we are just going to rest people because the wickets are not responsive then something is wrong.”
Gabriel, who took the wickets of Tom Blundell, Will Young and Ross Taylor, ended the day with figures of 3 for 57. Holder, who was arguably the best bowler on the day, had 2 for 65. Either bowler should have had Nicholls out before he got to 50. In fact, three of the West Indies front line bowlers could have snared his wicket but Nicholls rode his luck to what is his sixth Test century that put New Zealand in a command at 294 for 6 on a tricky pitch.
Shamarh Brooks dropped a difficult chance off the fifth ball of the 28th over when Nicolls, then on 22, flicked Alzarri Joseph to short leg. However, the fielder was unable to hold on.
Then in the 36th over, when on 30, Nicholls hooked Joseph over the long leg boundary, a shot that should have resulted in a catch had Jermaine Blackwood held his ground on the boundary ropes and not run into 10 yards only to see the ball land just beyond where he had been standing. Joseph sank to his knees in anguish.
The easiest chances were to come later.
Facing Gabriel in the 41st over Nicholls edged to Darren Bravo who floored a regulation catch at second slip. The frustrations of the West Indies players were further deepened in the 44th over when Chemar Holder found Nicholls’ edge only for Bravo to floor another catch at slip.
Riding his wave of good fortune, Nicholls mounted partnerships of 70 with Young, who became Gabriel’s 150 Test victim when Jason Holder pulled off a stunning catch diving low to his right at second slip. Young made 43 helping New Zealand recover from 78 for 3.
A 55-run fifth-wicket stand with BJ Watling followed. The partnership was broken when Watling chopped a back-of-a-length delivery from Alzarri Joseph onto his stumps at 203 for 5.
And, just when it seemed as if the West Indies were about to make further inroads into the New Zealand line up, Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell put on 83 before Mitchell, who was dropped by Holder off Roston Chase when on 41, became Chemar Holder’s second Test wicket, trapped lbw for 42.
The 22-year-old Barbadian had earlier got Tom Latham caught behind by Joshua Da Silva for 27 to have New Zealand at 63 for 2.
Kyle Jamieson, who scored an unbeaten half century in the first Test is not out on one at the other end.
Alzarri Joseph has taken 1 for 65 from 17 overs.
About 18 West Indies players were in the pool of 292 players hoping to fill 61 slots across the eight IPL franchises but only one, Fabian Allen, was sold. The Jamaican all-rounder will join Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran at the renamed Punjab Kings for the new season for just over US$100,000.
Meanwhile, the likes of Evin Lewis and Sheldon Cottrell, who had a base price of just under US$150,000 went unsold.
Darren Bravo, Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford, who each had a similar base price as Allen, also failed to spark any interest among the franchises.
Players like Rovman Powell, Oshane Thomas, Chemar Holder, Fidel Edwards, Carlos Brathwaite and several others, also had a base price of around US$70,000 but their affordability did not seem to make them any more attractive to the cash-rich squads that already had retained several West Indies players like Gayle, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and the elder of the Bravo brothers, Dwayne.
The 30-year-old slow left-arm orthodox spinner took 50 wickets at a miserly 12.98s to finish the truncated season with 14 wickets more than the pair of Chemar Holder and Akeal Hosein, who had 36 wickets each.
Holder, the 22-year-old Barbadian pace bowler took his 36 wickets at a healthy average of 18.91 while Hosein, 26, took his wickets at an excellent 20.61.
Preston McSween, the 24-year-old left-arm, fast-medium bowler from Grenada was ranked fourth in the bowling standings with 31 wickets at an average of 22.77.
However, while all four bowlers took their wickets in eight matches, veteran West Indies and Barbados quick Kemar Roach took his 30 wickets from just five matches at an average of 13.70.
Meanwhile, Rahkeem Cornwall also hauled in 30 wickets from five matches at an average of 21.06.
Keon Harding of Barbados with 29 wickets and the Jamaican trio of Markino Mindley (24), Derval Green (22) and Patrick Harty (22) round out the top 10 bowlers.
Permaul also had the best match haul, 15 for 77, which came against the Jamaica Scorpions. Holder’s season-best haul of 11 for 92 also came against the Scorpions while both Harding’s 10 for 76 and Cornwall’s 10 for 125 came against Trinidad and Tobago.
After scoring a paltry 209 in their first innings, the Pride hit back by skittling out the Red Force for just 175 before returning to the crease to rack up 342 and put pressure on the visitors who are now struggling at 48-4.
When the Pride bat for a second time, Kraigg Brathwaite scored 58, Sheyne Moseley had a wonderful knock of 155, and Kevin Stoute chipped in with an important 55.
Jeremy Solozano, with an even 50, was the only person to lay down a significant mark on the scoreboard in the Red Force’s 175.
On Sunday morning, Joshua Da Silva, on 23, and Yannic Cariah, on 12, will resume batting for the Red Force with Solozano, 5, Yannick Ottley, 1, Jason Mohammed, 5, and Denesh Ramdin, 0, all back in the pavilion.
Kemar Roach, 2-25, and Chemar Holder, 2-13, have been the destroyers so far.
Roach and Holder had bagged two wickets when they bowled to the Red Force the first time out, providing good support to Keon Harding, who had ended with 5-57.
The Pride were devastating with the ball, restricting the Jaguars to under 100 in both innings, the hosts scoring 55 and 94. While the Pride didn’t cover themselves with glory when they bat either, their 174 and 210 were more than enough.
When the Pride bat first, they had no answer to Keemo Paul, whose 3-61 led the way. They didn’t have many responses to Romario Shepherd (2-15), or Raymon Reifer (2-19).
But if the Pride had no answer to the trio, the Jaguars didn’t even understand the questions Roach, who bagged 5-20 and Holder, who had 4-24, were asking.
The two helped reduce the Jaguars to 54 before going back to bat where they fared a little better in the runs column but still could not deal with the pace and guile of Paul, who had 4-52. Kevin Sinclair, 2-28, and Christopher Barnwell, 2-26, were also markedly difficult for the Pride to negotiate, who benefitted from Kraigg Brathwaite’s 84 and Jonathan Carter’s 43.
In the first innings, Brathwaite had scored an important 48.
With a lead of 329, Roach and Co set to work again.
Roach ended with 4-40, while Chemar Holder got in on the act with 2-29.
Jason Holder had an easy afternoon, bowling just four overs, with 1-10.
Carter was also in the thick of things, taking 3-13.
Holder made his Test debut against New Zealand last year but has not featured since then. Brooks, meanwhile, also last played against New Zealand and has earned a recall following a polished century in the Best v Best four-day match last week.
“Chemar Holder returns, having recovered from his injury. He will bolster the fast bowling department. Shamarh Brooks batted his way into the provisional squad by scoring an accomplished century. He will certainly add some depth to the squad’s batting,” said Chief Selector Roger Harper in explaining the recall of the two players.
Regarding Gabriel’s omission, Harper said the player is being given time to work on his fitness.
“Shannon Gabriel has been given time to rehab fully and build his conditioning, so he was not part of the preparations for the Test series against Pakistan, which included the Best v Best game. Darren Bravo has been part of the ‘bubble’ from the preparation camp leading into the Betway Test series against South Africa and has been given a break,” Harper said.
“I expect the team to be highly competitive in every department while playing with passion, purpose and determination. I look forward to the batsmen stepping up as they did in the series against Bangladesh and against Sri Lanka earlier this year in Antigua.”
The two-match Betway Test Series will be played at Sabina Park from August 12-16 and August 20-24. The Betway Test Series forms the first of six Series in the new cycle of the International Cricket Council World Test Championship to find the best Test match cricket team in the world.
FULL SQUAD: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice-Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Rahkeem Cornwall, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, and Jomel Warrican.
The West Indies then lost the wicket of John Campbell before the close of play with the West Indies still 291 runs behind.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, New Zealand crept to 43 in 16 overs before Will Young was caught down the leg side for 27 trying to pull a short one from Chemar Holder.
The dismissal brought Henry Nichols to the crease where he and Ravindra mounted a second-wicket stand of 160, putting the Caribbean bowlers to the sword.
After a slow start, Ravindra grew in confidence, scoring 112 from 187 balls in a knock that included 10 fours and two sixes. Nichols proved to be a solid partner hitting eight fours before Raymon Reifer had him caught behind by Joshua DaSilva for a well-played 76.
It was soon 227 for 3 as Ravindra was eventually caught by Kemar Roach after pulling Alzarri Joseph to deep backward square leg.
Devon Conway was on 46 and Joe Carter, 41, when Captain Cole McConchie called the declaration after 79 overs.
Reifer was the best of the West Indies bowlers with 1 for 29 from his seven overs with Holder taking 1 for 58 and Josephs 1 for 55.
Campbell was dismissed for 4 playing on trying to pull Blair Tickner, whose previous delivery he had hit to the boundary.
However, Kraigg Brathwaite remained unbeaten on two and Darren Bravo, 8, as the West Indies got to the close on 17 for 1.
