The 29-year-old, who made his debut for the West Indies in 2013, has been an ever-present in the regional team. Since 2014, Holder, who has been both ODI and Test captain, has been on a retainer contract with Cricket West Indies (CWI), which gives the regional team priority in many instances.
It has meant the sought-after player has perhaps been unable to ply his trade in some of the cash-rich cricket competitions around the globe, as they, at times, have clashed with regional engagements.
“I could sit down here and safely say I’ve passed up a lot of money to play for West Indies. I could have been a lot more well off than I am. I consider myself really blessed because I’ve made a lot of money in my life for a guy my age…but I probably could have made a lot more but I’ve always had that desire to play for West Indies,” Holder told the Headstrong An Innings With…podcast. The player was addressing the situation that arises when players are often forced between signing lucrative deals and representing the regional team.
Holder was replaced as West Indies captain by, Kraigg Brathwaite, in March, after the latter’s strong showing in the team’s series against Bangladesh. Holder was one of several players who declined to go on the tour. The all-rounder cited health and safety concerns but also quarantine fatigue, as reasons he did not participate in the tour.
While not getting into the specific instances to which he was referring, Holder expressed disappointment with the fact that he doesn’t believe that West Indies cricket has always been generous in their handling of players that have sacrificed a lot.
“My disappointment, however, comes when players like myself give up so much to commit to West Indies cricket, and then West Indies cricket isn’t as accommodating as they possibly can. There have been a few instances where I’ve been very disappointed in how things were handled,” he added.
The 30-year-old was replaced as captain of the team, in March, before finding himself controversially left out of the 15-man squad for the team to last year’s World Cup. Despite the turmoil, the player has, however, managed to put in consistent performance, particularly with the ball.
Against England, Holder recently achieved a new milestone after taking career-best figures of 4 for 7 against in the ongoing series. In two matches, he has taken six wickets and looked an assured presence for the team on the field. The all-rounder admits, these days, he is in a different frame of mind.
“In the recent past…I’ve probably been overthinking it too much. I’ve been working on some things technically as well from both the batting and bowling standpoint. Honestly speaking, I would have studied it a little too much in the game and not been as clear as I wanted to be,” Holder told members of the media on Tuesday.
“So, I’ve tried to iron out a few things mentally and trying to be a lot more focused and committed to what I want to do on a given day and try not to focus on just having a perfect technique,” he added.
The former captain believes it has been a difficult period for the entire group.
“There’s been a lot on my mind in the last year. I’m just trying to find ways to shut some of it out and try to narrow in and focus on what’s needed. I think the group has that challenge as well, we are working hard. Anybody that says we are not working hard enough, I would always challenge that, but there is a lot more to cricket and sport than just working hard.”
On Wednesday, Powell anchored the WI Best B innings with a responsible 95 from 175 balls, which was earned in 227 minutes. The batsman, who has not represented the West Indies since 2018, during the team’s series against Bangladesh, has had a difficult relationship with the selection panel as of late.
With several first-string players opting out of the Bangladesh tour earlier this year, Powell was favourite for a return to the squad but was declared to not have met the fitness standard required by the West Indies. Both the player and the Nevis Cricket Association (NCA) rejected the claims and insisted the batsman had in fact met the required fitness standard. Powell had earlier failed a test in May of 2020.
Now back in contention, the player will be hoping to put such episodes behind him.
“I would hope it (the score) leaves me in a position of strength. I think there has been just one century, so this is the second-highest score if I’m not mistaken,” Powell said, following the day's play.
“Hopefully, I can get into the squad, and we will take it from there. I’ve wanted to get back into the team for some time now. So, obviously spending time and showing application, I am hoping there is hopefully a reward for that.”
Global concerns regarding the emergence of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 has seen travel restrictions imposed for several African countries, including Zimbabwe. Those conditions would make travel difficult for players involved in the event.
The tournament was expected to provide the final three spots for the ICC Women's World Cup in New Zealand next year as and also decide the remaining two spots for the next cycle of the ICC Women's Championship.
The places will now be decided based on team rankings, in keeping with the tournament's playing conditions.
As a result, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the West Indies will now progress to the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand, with Sri Lanka and Ireland occupying the other slots for the 2022-25 cycle of the ICC Women's Championship.
On Saturday, the scheduled games were already underway with Zimbabwe facing Pakistan and USA taking on Thailand. The West Indies were scheduled to face Sri Lanka but that game was called off after a member of the Sri Lanka support staff tested positive for the virus. The event was later abandoned. In their first encounter, the Windies Women cruised to a six-wicket win over Ireland.
Despite having not featured for the Windies since 2018, Samuels only officially retired from international cricket this week. Last week, however, the player made the headlines with vulgar comments regarding Warne, Stokes, and his wife.
The West Indian was heavily criticised by some in the aftermath of the incident, but it seems Samuels is not quite ready to let things go as he has now promised more in an upcoming music track. Samuels, who has transitioned into entertainment with the stage name Icon, recently revealed, via his Instagram account, that the track will be called Worst Enemy.
“Me just finish the baddest diss song with all 4 of them names. There is nothing in this world that I can’t do punks. I will be releasing it to the world, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Caribbean every media house,” wrote Samuels, who has now also included comments about Good Morning Britain television host Piers Morgan on the track. Morgan had also been critical of Samuels in the aftermath of the incident.
“Piers Morgan. How you reach ina this? I can’t remember seeing you around the game of cricket. That’s not how you speak to a legend. Yu need to go take a picture at Lords with my number 7 jersey. Am going live Friday worldlord style. Got some questions to ask,” Samuels said.
The fiery fast bowler claimed some 405 Test wickets with some 22,103 balls but none of them ever dislodged the wickets of India great Tendulkar. In general, Ambrose statistics suggest that on a whole he may have underperformed against India. In nine Test matches, with two contests in the Caribbean - 1989 and 1997 - Ambrose took only 15 wickets at an average of 38.33 with only one five wicket haul.
In the 1997 series, Tendulkar scored a total of 270 runs with an average of 67.5, Ambrose managed to claim just 7 wickets for the five-match series. At the peak of his powers in 1994, he missed out on the West Indies tour to India after sustaining a rotator cup injury and perhaps an epic showdown with Tendulkar. The batsman hammered 213 runs, in the three-Test series, including 179 in the second Test.
“I would say Sachin Tendulkar because I’ve never gotten him out in a Test match,” Ambrose said in an interview with the Antigua Observer.
“I’ve played a few Tests against him but have never gotten him out although I’ve gotten him out in One Day cricket, so if I could relive that, I would have loved to have gotten him out.”
Tendulkar regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, is the highest run scorer in international cricket and has scored 51 Test centuries.
The competition has so far been plagued by a number of low scoring total’s, and batsmen seemingly unable to come to grips what has so far proven to be a surface that favours bowlers. There has so far been very little issue for Williams and the Zouks, though, as they have racked up five wins and currently occupying the third spot.
“I don’t have a problem with the pitches, to be honest. These wickets, I love these wickets, for me, they show how skillful you are as a bowler. If you are just running in and bowling fast and trying to hit the deck, then you are going to go for runs,” Williams told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“If you look at the guys that are getting wickets, they have skill. T20 is a batter’s game, everyone wants to see balls hit wickets. At the end of the day, these wickets are not suitable for T20 cricket but we are professionals and we have to learn to adjust. If we can’t adjust as professionals it makes no sense to play cricket because you will have times like this,” he added.
Williams and the Zouks have certainly adjusted. The team’s five wins and three losses have put them in a place-off spot for the first time in the franchise’s history.
Over the past several months, the bowler has made the headlines for positing solid totals at the crease, as much as if not more than multiple wicket hauls.
Against New Zealand, in December of last year, Joseph recorded his highest total of 86, which was his maiden half-century. The Antiguan then went on to add another after scoring 82 in February this year against Bangladesh.
Fast forward a few months later and the player has taken his form with the bat to a debut season of English County cricket for Worcestershire. With best scores of 46 and 61, Joseph has shown plenty of ability to be handy with the bat when the team needs it. In four matches to date, Joseph has scored 128 runs and claimed 10 wickets.
“Whatever I could contribute to the team I am happy to do, so it’s good that I have been getting a few scores but for me, I think it’s also about being consistent doing it,” Joseph told the Antigua Observer.
“I have always enjoyed batting but it was just down to me being a bit more focused on it so I think for me it’s just about staying focused, being consistent in any aspect of the game.”
The Windies will be eager to bounce back from a difficult loss in the previous series against India, but could also find the going tough against a full-strength New Zealand, the world’s 5th ranked team.
New Zealand has won the last two series against the West Indies both taking place in New Zealand. King took part in the last series but scored just 24 runs in the three matches. Against India, however, the player tallied a decent 101 runs in three matches.
“They’re a world-renowned team, their bowling attack is very good, but I have played them before so I have that experience to draw on,” King told members of the press on Tuesday.
“I think my game has also improved. I’m in a better place to face the challenges, so I back myself.”
The mercurial Samuels played a key role on both occasions the team won the title, managing to put together innings that balanced an abundance of caution at the crease, with scoring aggression when needed.
In 2012, Samuels average a solid 38.33, with a strike rate of 132 en route to the team’s triumph but more importantly top-scored in the final, with 78 from 56 deliveries, giving the West Indies a comfortable win over Sri Lanka.
In 2016, it was Carlos Brathwaite that got the accolades in a thrilling, brutal final-over onslaught in the final against England but it was Samuels who once again top-scored at the other end, his 85 from 66 balls proving just as crucial in the team’s title triumph. For that tournament, Samuels averaged 36.20 with a strike rate of 112.42.
“West Indies will play their brand of cricket, which is all guns blazing, but let us remember in those two World Cups that they won there was a certain Marlon Samuels who was the glue,” Butcher told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“Among all of those stars there was someone who could hold the team together and, when needed, up the scoring rate. What they need to do is to find someone to play that role and play it successfully,” he added.
Among the candidate to do so for the upcoming tournament will be Roston Chase whose performance during the recently concluded CPL saw him force himself into the thoughts of the selectors. For the finalists, St Lucia Kings this season, Chase averaged an impressive 49.55, with a strike rate of 144.33.
“The question will be whether Roston Chase can perform that role to that level on the international stage. This is the international level with the best teams, it’s not the CPL. Marlon Samuels proved, not just on those two occasions, that when things were tough, he was the go-to man.”
In addition to the cricket, the West Indies most recently concluded series against England looked like a rollicking good time. Vaccinated spectators were allowed to enter the Kensington Oval and added plenty to the atmosphere.
The team’s tour of India will begin with three One Day International’s at the Narendra Modi Stadium, scheduled between February 6 to 11. The Gujarat Cricket Association, however, confirmed that due to the current situation with the Covid-19 pandemic the match will be played behind closed doors.
“We are all set to host West Indies Tour of India ODI Series 2022. 1st ODI on 6th of Feb will be a very special and historic match as India will be playing it’s 1000th ODI. The Indian team will be the first cricket team in the world to achieve this feat. @BCCI #INDvsWI #teamindia,” the GCA said via its official Twitter account.
“Considering the current situation, all the matches will be played behind the closed doors,” the state cricket body said in another tweet.
Following the ODI series, the teams will play a three-match T20 International series in Kolkata, for which the West Bengal government has allowed 75 percent crowd attendance.
The West Indies, thanks to a century from Shai Hope at the top of the order, scored 289-7 before going from losing positions to winning positions and back again, as Sri Lanka got to 290-9 with five balls to spare.
According to Pollard, after leaving a few runs with the bat, the West Indies were also not at their very best with the ball and coughed up too many presents for the Sri Lankans.
But Pollard did enjoy the game, saying it was well contested by both teams.
“Good game of cricket came down to the last over with the crowd on its feet,” he said.
“Normally guys like me and Pooran finish it off but it couldn't happen today. Couple of soft dismissals in the middle really set us back,” said Pollard.
“I think we bowled too many bad balls in the start, gave them too many freebies, that's where we lost the game. Our discipline was not there,” he said.
Sri Lanka started well with a 111-run first-wicket partnership between Avishka Fernando (50) and captain Dimuth Karunaratne (52).
The Windies fought back brilliantly but Thisara Perera played an important innings, slamming a 22-ball 32. When Perera was caught off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph, the match was very much in the balance with Sri Lanka on 253-7.
However, Hasaranga (42 off 39) produced a performance that belied his ODI average of 14.37 to get Sri Lanka over the finish line.
Hasaranga's ability to find the rope – he struck a quartet of fours and one maximum – and inaccurate death bowling from the Windies left the scores level going into the final over.
A direct-hit run out from Sunil Ambris to remove Lakshan Sandakan frayed the nerves a little, but the one run Sri Lanka needed came from a Keemo Paul no-ball off the next delivery as if to highlight the way little mistakes had cost the Caribbean side.
The 27-year-old Vincentian native was appointed second in command of the One Day International (ODI) squad, with Jason Mohammed named as captain, after several regular players pulled out of the tour.
With regulars like captain Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Darren Bravo, and Nicholas Pooran missing, Ambris, who has so far played 13 ODIs, will rank among the senior members of the squad. In fact, eight players will be first-time call-ups for the format.
“It is obvious that we have a very inexperienced team travelling to Bangladesh, but having said that, I think it is a talented bunch of guys,” Ambris told Searchlight.
“Once we stay positive and do what we know we can do, we should be okay … Once we play some good cricket, we can win the series,” he added. Ambris, who made his debut in 2017, has scored 448 runs at an average of 44.7. He has two fifties and one hundred to his name.
The 27-year-old spinner has not played since the first ODI against India where he fractured his thumb while fielding. As a result, the player missed the second and third matches and the entire T20 series against India and New Zealand.
With the three matches against New Zealand being the West Indies’ last remaining three fixtures in the ICC ODI Super League, and with the prospect to secure automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC World Cup in India on the line, Pooran would love to have all his best players available. He has, however, expressed confidence that the team can make do with the available players.
“It’s a blow for us, especially looking at his performances in the Bangladesh series and how well he bowled in that first game against India,” Pooran told members of the media on Tuesday.
“I thought we were starting to get that chemistry between both him and Akeal (Hosein) they are two of the better spinners in the Caribbean but it is what it is,” he added.
“We hope he will recover and soon be available to us but having said that Kevin Sinclair is here, Yannic Cariah has gotten picked and we are backing them to deliver 100 percent.”
Following a final round of PCR tests ahead of the team’s departure on Friday, the duo returned positive tests and will undergo a period of 10 days of isolation. As a result, it is likely that the pair will not join up with the rest of the team until January 9, depending on the status of follow-up procedures.
The West Indies are scheduled to play Ireland in three One Day Internationals and a one-off T20 match, beginning on January 8.
Richard Holdsworth, High-Performance Director for Cricket Ireland, admits that the period continues to be challenging, particularly when trying to balance the physical health of players with their mental well-being.
"It is a challenging time for all, but the players have responded very well to operating within the Managed Environment over the last two weeks. A Managed Environment is different to a bio-bubble, and is an approach being used currently to try and find that balance between risk mitigation from the virus and impacts of sustained periods of isolation on the mental and physical health needs of players and staff.”
In the end, pace bowler Sheldon Cottrell smashed a six off the penultimate over of the match to give the hosts a one-wicket win. However, at several points during the match the Irish seemed on the verge of securing a rare win over the Windies, with the hosts struggling at 3 for 24, 4 for 76 and 7 for 148 before heroics from Khary Pierre, Alzarri Joseph and Cottrell lifted the team to 242 for 9.
Before Cottrell’s heroics, the big pacer only narrowly just avoided being run out at the bowler’s end. Cottrell was a long way short of his ground when but was given a reprieve after the third umpire determined Mark Adair failed broke the stumps with his hand before the ball actually hit the wicket.
The drama in the final over was not yet over with Cottrell finding himself stranded three-fourth of the way down the pitch after Hayden Walsh failed to take a second run but luckily, the return throw went to the wrong end and Cottrell, despite slipping on his way back, managed to return to the striker's end safely.
“I can’t really fault guys now, they’re all distraught now actually. We have thrown everything into the game and come up short and that will definitely haunt us today,” Balbirnie said.
“We’ve lost a game of cricket, which is usually disappointing…I backed the bowlers to keep their heads, we have skillful enough bowlers. Garry Wilson came up with an outstanding bit of fielding that almost won us the game but like I said I can’t fault our bowlers. We have put in two really good efforts with ball and in the field and hopefully, we can come up better in the third ODI.”
With the team missing two of its most explosive batsmen in Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo, runs could be hard to come by against a dangerous England bowling attack. On his last visit to England, Hope certainly did stand up for the Windies team. In the second Test, his two centuries proved crucial in a five-wicket win that saw the regional team level the series before going on to lose 2-1.
Although admitting the team will be missing the duo, Hope insisted the big match-winning performances needed were simply about the players' available accepting the challenge on any given day.
“It just happened to be my day at Headingley but it can be anyone else’s day on any given day. The key is just to make sure that whenever you get an opportunity in the middle you grasp it and do whatever you can to put in those performances for the team," Hope told members of the media.
“It’s a case where the performances will matter. Yes, we are going to miss those guys, they play a big role on the team. But it’s more performances that we miss rather than players, they could be here and it just doesn’t go their way, that’s how cricket goes sometimes. You always just need someone to put their hands up, I always stress that. It’s just key for us that we as batters put those runs on the board.”
The West Indies will defend the Wisden Trophy against England in three Test matches, beginning next month at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground.
After a three-month hiatus, cricket returned to the international stage earlier this month with the England versus the West Indies series, in England. As the world continues its battle to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the series took place under extraordinary circumstances.
The Test series was played without fans and the players, along with everyone involved in it, were kept separate from the public, in a biosphere of sorts. With considerably fewer resources than the England Cricket Board (ECB), the CPL has come up with its own version of a bubble in order to stage the tournament, but there are marked differences.
“The one in England was much different. You could move around freely. You could socialise a bit more with your teammates in England, but the one in Trinidad you cannot do that,” St Lucia Zouks off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“When you first come to Trinidad you in the room for 7 days, isolated, and can’t come out. Whereas as in England once you do the test and you are negative you are free to move about the facilities, you just can’t leave,” he added.
His St Lucia Zouks teammate, pace bowler Kesrick Williams, also shed more light on the specific conditions.
“It’s not the norm but at the end of the day it’s something we work with given the conditions in the world right now, with COVID-19…it’s not the best but we are working with it,” he added.
“When somebody is always telling you, you can’t do something, it's different than when you can freely do it. For me, I’m usually in my room, but at the end of the day when someone is telling you, you have to wear a mask there, you have to wear a mask here, times for the food, times for gym and stuff like that and then the sanitizing and all that, it just leaves you feeling like you are in prison. I don’t have a problem with it, but it's something we are not accustomed to.”
With very few exceptions, the Windies batsmen struggled to make an impact against a crafty Sri Lanka spin attack, which anchored a dominant 2-0 series win for the hosts in Galle. A closer look at the team’s batting statistics did not make for good reading.
In two matches, only three batsmen managed a combined total of over 100 runs. Nkrumah Bonner was the team’s most successful batsman putting up a total of 148, over the two matches, with a high score of 68 and an average of 49.33. Brathwaite was next with 119, his average working out to 29.75, with a high score of 72. Jermaine Blackwood was the third batsman to reach triple figures after totalling 109, averaging 27.25 and getting a high score of 44.
By comparison, Sri Lanka had five players total over 100 over both Tests, with two, Dhananjaya de Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne, getting over 200 runs.
When it comes to partnerships, the West Indies had only one that was worth 100 runs, which took place between Bonner and Da Silva in 44 overs. By comparison, Sri Lanka achieved the feat 6 times.
“Batting-wise we let ourselves down, we just didn’t get big enough totals to cause any pressure on Sri Lanka,” Brathwaite said, following the match.
With the West Indies set to face England in January of next year, the captain believes the team must find ways to work on its concentration if things are to improve.
“Really and truly it all boils down to having the discipline and doing it for long periods. I don’t think it will change in terms of spin-friendly conditions or batting in the Caribbean,” he added.
“Wherever you may play, it’s about having that discipline throughout to bat for longer periods, I think that’s what we need. We are showing that we can do it, but we are not doing it for long enough.”
With less than two months to go before the tournament, Skerritt replaced then-interim coach Richard Pybus with Floyd Reifer. The move was opposed by many, at the time, not just for its potentially disruptive nature, but also the fact that Pybus was perceived to have done a good job with the team, particularly in a 2-1 Test series win against England in the Caribbean prior to the start of the tournament.
The West Indies went on to have a disastrous showing at the tournament, finishing second from the bottom of the table with two wins and six losses. Despite an inexperienced Reifer not going on to distinguishing himself in the role, Skerritt, in hindsight, still believes the decision was the correct one.
“I have no regrets because that was about promoting the West Indies A Team coach to give him an opportunity to go to England and to Ireland before then [the World Cup] and to show what he is worth and give him an opportunity to get the experience so that we could have at least one coach in our armoury that has World Cup experience and to give West Indians a chance to shine on a world stage,” Skerritt said on a recent edition of the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show.
Former West Indies player Phil Simmons was officially appointed to the post of head coach two months after the conclusion of the World Cup.
