Holder urges West Indies to ‘come collectively as a area’ after World Cup setback

Speaking shortly after West Indies have been confirmed as being out of rivalry for the 2023 50-over World Cup, Holder acknowledged their defeat to Scotland was “probably one of the lowest points I’ve had with the team,” however urged everybody in West Indian cricket to maneuver on rapidly.

“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,” Holder mentioned on the post-match press convention. “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.

“We have to have a look at the degrees beneath and enhance them in order that when guys get right here, they’ve an excellent basis. It’s an space we have to pay some particular consideration to. It’s not a fast repair. It’s one thing we have to spend time on. Development is an important factor. Hopefully within the subsequent couple of years we are able to see the fruits of that crop.”

“We’ve all bought to do it. It’s not a person factor, it isn’t a territorial factor, we have to come back collectively as a area and actually take into consideration how we need to go ahead as a gaggle and make it occur,” he said.

But all those are things that will be addressed in the weeks and months to come, which will include a quiet October-November period when West Indies should have been at the World Cup. For Holder, who played in the 2015 and 2019 events, missing out is a particularly sore point. “It’s disappointing, particularly after final 12 months’s effort within the T20 (World Cup – the place West Indies didn’t make the Super 12s). I’ve had the posh of enjoying in two fifty-over World Cups earlier than and a few T20 World Cups. There are particular events so this one will harm because the one final 12 months did.”

On the field, Holder was among those who showed emotion from around the time that Scotland needed less than 50 runs to win. He stood at mid-on, hands on hips, head bowed and at one point even sank to his haunches and remained there while waiting for the next ball to be bowled. Unlike when West Indies lost at the same venue to Zimbabwe a week ago, there were no last-ball meltdowns and though Akeal Hosein, who was consoled by Craig Ervine and Sean Williams seven days ago, needed an arm around his shoulder as he trudged off, there were no tears.

Those may have come in the morning when, put in to bat, West Indies were 81 for 6 in the 21st over and the only team with India on their minds seemed to be the Scottish. “We knew what was at stake and that we nonetheless had an opportunity to qualify. We had a extremely good alternative at the moment to play towards Scotland, and beat Scotland and we did not do this,” Holder said.

So when the inevitable happened, West Indies were gracious losers, congratulated the Scotland players and those of them who had been on the bench started to run shuttles. Pointless? Not quite. They still have to play Oman and Sri Lanka before racing home to begin a series against India. As is the case with cricket schedules these days, there’s no time to dwell on this defeat, however significant it may be.

“But there is no level moping on and preserving our heads down. We have to search out methods to get higher and head within the route we have to head in persistently. There have been too many fluctuations between good performances and dangerous performances. It’s a matter for us to grasp the place we’re at, know the place we need to go and all of us placing our fingers up.”