COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – After watching West Indies’ batting fail in both Tests, captain Jason Holder says that department needs to take inspiration from the way the bowling stood up during the series.
West Indies were bowled out cheaply in both innings in the opening Test in Galle to lose by an innings and six runs inside four days, and then lost the second game here by 72 runs, after being set 244 to win.
“In this Test match, Jerome (Taylor) led us again. He came into the game with a little bit of a niggle and he really pulled through and showed his maturity,” Holder said.
Skipper Jason Holder … believes the team was let down by the batsmen.
“He was well supported by myself, Kemar Roach and then the spinners came into play as the game went on. All I can ask of the bowlers is that they keep improving and setting the tone for the rest of the team.
“Hopefully our batsmen can gain some of that confidence and momentum which they’ve put there.”
West Indies batsmen managed just three half-centuries over the two Tests, with left-hander Darren Bravo getting two of these and Jermaine Blackwood scoring the other.
Tellingly, no batsmen passed 150 runs in the series.
In contrast, there was a six-wicket haul for part-time off-spinner Kraigg Brathwaite in the second innings of the final Test, with spinners Devendra Bishoo and debutant Jomel Warrican grabbing four wicket hauls in either game.
Holder said the bowlers – especially the seamers – had been consistent in spite of the difficult conditions.
“Our bowlers have come up trumps for us. I thought our bowlers did a very, very good job in this Test series,” he explained.
“We got ten wickets in the first Test match in Galle – we only got one chance to bowl – and we got 20 wickets here which is what we’ve asked of the bowlers. They keep doing what we ask of them every time we ask the them to put up their hands and do a job for us, they come up [trumps] for us.
“It is not easy conditions. In the first Test match we played four fast bowlers and every time I called on the fast bowlers they came up and gave a good effort.”
With the defeat in the second Test here on Monday, West Indies extended their dismal record of never having won a Test on Sri Lankan soil, and Holder believes the difference in the series came down to his side’s brittle batting.
“I think if you look at the top orders, Sri Lanka’s top order batted well and ours didn’t,” the 23-year-old, in his first series as Test skipper, said frankly.
“We are always struggling for an opening partnership and we never really got it and in the middle overs we struggled to get partnerships whereas Sri Lanka got some runs in the middle. Their top order took the onus on themselves to make the bulk of the runs.
“Going forward we need to look at our top order and hopefully they can take the onus upon themselves score the bulk of the runs for the team.”
