(Barbados Nation) After an inauspicious year, it won’t be surprising if Jason Holder is sacked or resigns as captain of the Windies One-Day International (ODI) side.
He won just three of the 21 ODIs he led the West Indies in during 2017, while suffering 15 losses with three no-results for a meagre 16.66 percentage winning record.
Under his leadership this year, the Windies lost 3-0 to England, 2-1 to Pakistan, 3-1 to India and drew 1-1 with Afghanistan in the Caribbean before being whitewashed 4-0 and 3-0 in away series in England and New Zealand.
Overall, since becoming the One-Day captain in 2015, Holder has skippered the Windies in 49 matches. He tasted success just 11 times and endured the agony of defeat 34 times for a meagre 25 per cent record. There was one tied match in addition to the no-results.
His predecessor, Dwayne Bravo, led the Windies in 37 ODIs – 12 fewer than Holder – but had 17 wins while suffering 18 losses with two tied matches. Bravo’s winning percentage was 48.64.
Darren Sammy, who skippered the Windies in 51 ODIs between 2010 and 2013, had 19 victories and 30 losses, with a tie and a no-result for a 39 per cent winning record.
Just before Sammy, Chris Gayle led the Windies in 53 ODIs between 2007 and 2010. He logged 17 wins against 30 losses with six no-results for a 36.17 percentage record.
What makes Holder’s stint as captain in this format even more unremarkable is that the Windies failed to qualify for this year’s Champions Trophy in England, which featured the eight top-ranked teams in the world.
Additionally, the Windies were unsuccessful in their bid to gain a direct passage into the 2019 World Cup in England.
Consequently, the winners of the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979 have been subjected to a qualifying tournament in March next year against nine ICC affiliates for the last two available spots.
As a player, Holder had a solid, if not spectacular year with bat and ball.
He captured 23 wickets with steady seam bowling at an average of 38.73 and an economy rate of 5.30 runs per over.
The tall right-handed middle to lower order batsman, scored 410 runs at a strike rate of 99.51 and an average of 25.62. He recorded two half-centuries.
Improving Shai Hope was not only the Windies’ top batsman in Test cricket this year, but also in ODI, with 600 runs in 22 matches at an average of 33.33. He didn’t score a ton, but had four half-centuries, while his strike rate was a pedestrian 67.26. As a wicket-keeper, he effected 26 dismissals.
Jason Mohammed also hit four half-centuries in 22 matches while amassing 523 runs at an average of 29.05, with a strike rate of 71.93.
Opener Evin Lewis, with a hundred and half-century, totalled 512 runs in 20 ODIs at an average of 32.00, and a strike rate of 82.84.
Off-spinner Ashley Nurse bagged 21 wickets at 40.61 runs apiece, with an economy rate of 5.19, while promising fast bowler Alzarri Joseph snared 19 scalps in 12 ODIs at an average of 30.61, but his economy rate was 6.31 runs per over.
