(Trinidad Express) “I want to be quite positive in what I do. It’s about gaining the confidence and belief in my players. First on my agenda is trying to get the players on my side.”
Newly appointed WI ODI captain Jason Holder was under no illusions yesterday that the five-match One-Day International series against South Africa would be “a challenge” for him and the team to overcome. Holder, the tall 23-year-old budding all-rounder, appointed in controversial circumstances to lead the Caribbean side on the eve of the ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, starts out his Windies captaincy career at Kingsmead today.
He does so with his most senior playing publicly questioning the omission of Dwayne Bravo, the man he has replaced as captain. But speaking to reporters ahead of the match yesterday, Holder, the youngest-ever WI skipper, said the team was full of belief as they got ready for the five matches against the Proteas as well as the Cup which follows next month.
“I won’t say it is a hard task, obviously we know the South African team is a very good team. They are ranked quite high and they are above us. I see it more as a challenge and I am one to embrace challenges. I just try to overcome most of my challenges and I don’t see them as obstacles and I think the team sees it the same way,” Holder told reporters yesterday.
“We are gonna put up our best fight and we are looking to compete and win this series,” Holder said.
The West Indies will be playing their first ODI series since the abandoned rubber against India last October with one match to play. Since then, Bravo and all-rounder Kieron Pollard have been dropped from the side.
While he cannot call on the experience of that pair, Holder should have powerhouse opener Chris Gayle to open the innings.
Gayle missed the India series through injury.
Talking about Gayle’s return to the starting lineup, Holder said: “It’s a huge boost (to have Chris in the team). Chris on any side is a boost for any side.”
Team manager Sir Richie Richardson stressed that the team’s goal was not only to win against the South Africans but also to get in vital preparation ahead of the World Cup.
“I’d like to see the players really digging in, dig a bit deeper, backing themselves, work hard and being committed; so it is important for us to do well in the series,” Richardson said.
“Obviously it’s a preparation for the World Cup and how well we do here can have an impact on our performances in the World Cup, but this for us is only a preparation. We wanna get a lot of things right going into the World Cup, and even if we don’t win this series, as long as we get what we want out of this series in terms of the preparation for the World Cup, that would be very good for us,” Richardson added.
“Obviously the World Cup is a major event and that is what we would like to win. We wanna win this series as well, so we will take each match as it goes but the long term (goal) is to get us as ready for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.”
Richardson added that Gayle was at practice yesterday and was very vibrant and they expected him to deliver after taking the last game of the T20 series off.
Teams
West Indies: Jason Holder (Captain), Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Narsingh Deonarine, Leon Johnson, Chris Gayle, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor.
South Africa: South Africa (possible): AB de Villiers (Captain), Hashim Amla, Rilee Rossouw, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, David Miller, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir
