‘Don’t think all is lost, we’ve got to come together as region’ – Jason Holder on restructuring West Indies cricket after humiliating WC exit

Jason Holder. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

After getting knocked out from the race to qualify for the upcoming World Cup in India, veteran West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder stated that the team has the talent to make a strong comeback in the 50-overs format if they follow the correct path. Notably, the two-time world champions played some poor cricket throughout the course of the Qualifiers and in the do-or-die game against Scotland on Saturday, the Shai Hope-led side posted only 181 runs and went on to lose by seven wickets, which completely shattered their world cup dream.

Following the defeat, Holder highlighted that not everything is lost as there are talented individuals in the team who can turn the tables in the next couple of years. He also opened up about restructuring West Indies cricket and stated that the management will have to identify talented cricketers soon enough in order to groom them well for international cricket. He understands that it cannot be fixed immediately but expects the team to get better in the next couple of years.

“I don’t think all is lost. There’s a lot of young guys in the group who can definitely develop and turn things around for West Indies cricket. We’ve got a young crop of players and we’ve got to put some support around them. It’s really important that we try to utilise time outside of competition and put things in place where we can develop our talent,” Holder said in the press conference as quoted by India Today.

“We have to look at the levels below and improve them so that when guys get here, they have a good foundation. It’s an area we need to pay some special attention to. It’s not a quick fix. It’s something we need to spend time on. Development is the most important thing. Hopefully, in the next couple of years we can see the fruits of that crop,” he added.

Holder also bats for unity in these testing times. He said that no individual can change the team’s fortune but only a collective effort can help them get better in the future.

“We’ve all got to do it. It’s not an individual thing, it’s not a territorial thing, we’ve got to come together as a region and really think about how we want to go forward as a group and make it happen,” the cricketer mentioned.