Former West Indies captain Jason Holder is celebrating his 32nd birthday today. This Barbadian has been one of the strongest pillars of Caribbean cricket in times of adversity. His contribution with both bat and ball has been exemplary. Holder led West Indies for a considerable period and held the West Indies cricket together like glue.
The Beginning
He got his first call-up for West Indies in 2013 when the Caribbeans touched the Australian shores on a grueling tour. In the first match of the ODI series, he made his debut in Perth. Over the years he went on to cement his place in the white ball cricket for West Indies.
Moving Ahead he made his T20 debut the next year against New Zealand in Wellington. In the longest format of the game, he got a look-in for the home series against the Kiwis in the same year. He went on to become an integral member of the West Indies team in all the formats.
The Overview
Jason Holder has been among the best all-rounders in international cricket recently. He has been pivotal for his side in all the departments. In the ODI format, he has represented West Indies in 138 matches where he picked up 159 wickets along with scoring 2237 runs. In the whites, he has played 64 test matches where his performance has been commendable. He has 157 wickets along with 2797 runs in the longest format. In T20 cricket he has 57 wickets and 407 runs in his account. He is also the fastest West Indian to score 1000 runs and 100 wickets in ODIs.
Captaincy
In 2015 he was entrusted with the leadership of Test and ODI sides. When he assumed the ODI captaincy he became the youngest ever to lead West Indies at the age of 23 years, 72 days. He went on to captain his side in 86 ODIs and 32 Test matches along with 3 T20 internationals as well. His was a time of highs and lows and Holder will be remembered for standing tall in a tumultuous period and leading his side to the best of his ability.