Former West Indies and Barbados batsman Philo Wallace has pointed to team captain Jason Holder’s lack of aggressive killer instinct as one of the issues that ailed the regional team in its recent loss to England.
The 28-year-old all-rounder has faced expected scrutiny in recent days, following a mid-series collapse against the Englishmen, which clouded over a promising start to the series.
Holder had marshaled his troops to an impressive four-wicket win to begin the tour but the introduction of pace bowler Stuart Broad midway the second Test coincided with the team coming apart at the seams, with displays of less effective bowling and dismal batting. Wallace believes a more aggressive stance from the typically laid-back captain would have been more beneficial.
“Jason handled the side well in the first Test match. We won that match convincingly. If you look at the second and third match and how he handled it, again, we see deficiencies in his aggression. I don’t think he’s aggressive enough,” Wallace told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“I don’t think he’s aggressive enough. When Ben Stokes decided to come around the wicket we saw things change. We didn’t see a lot of aggression from our captain and that’s why bowlers did not show the aggression,” he added.
Wallace was also highly critical of Holder’s continuing support for a struggling Shai Hope during the series.
“Obviously, when Jason decided to continually defend Hope, it's a massive statement to defend a man who hasn’t scored runs in Test match cricket for a long time. Yet, you have the extra batsman available to you and you did not play him,” Wallace said.
“You went down the road with Shai Hope and Shai Hope did not deliver for you, so that is a massive responsibility for a captain to take on board,” he added.
“Sometimes we need to be honest with ourselves about West Indies cricket. If West Indies cricket is to move forward, sometimes you have to make some harsh decisions. You have to drop your friend to bring in the man who will fight and perform for you. You cannot pick a friend and keep getting beat.”