GROS ISLET, St Lucia, CMC – The West Indies are just one match away from a historic win over Sri Lanka, and captain Jason Holder says the regional side will be gunning for victory in the final Test.
After battling to a tense draw in the second Test match on Monday, the Windies need only to avoid defeat in the third and final Test which begins this weekend at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
The West Indies hold a 1-0 lead in the three-match series following their 226-run victory in the opening match in Trinidad.
The last time the two teams met in the Caribbean was back in 2008, where the two-match Test series ended 1-1.
Captain Jason Holder has signaled that his unit will be going ‘all out’ to end the series on a winning note, as it is also the first day-night Test match to be held in the Caribbean.
However, he has admitted that he expected a stern test from the visitors who will be looking to level the series.
“Oh, we want to win that game. It’s obviously a special occasion in the Caribbean, it being the first day-night Test match in the Caribbean. I guess the people of Barbados will be coming out to support us…and it should be a really good spectacle under the lights at Kensington Oval,” Holder told reporters moments after the drawn Test.
“We’re obviously 1-0 up in the series and we’ve been playing some pretty good cricket. Sri Lanka really pushed us in this last Test match and they’ve been playing some really good cricket as well. Their bowlers have really challenged our batters and likewise, our batters have really had to dig deep to get some runs off their attack, so it should be a really keenly contested game. They are 1-0 down and will be coming to level the series and we are 1-0 up hoping to clinch the series, so there is all to play for in Barbados.”
With the Windies ranked ninth in the ICC’s Test rankings on 22 points, nine fewer than the sixth-ranked Sri Lankans, Holder stressed that every win and every point collected was vital.
He said while their bowlers had been excellent, he needed his batters to push on and make big scores.
“It is very important. I think every win is crucial and every point going towards the Test Championships is obviously crucial as well. I think we are playing some pretty decent cricket at the moment. Our bowlers have been doing an excellent job and our batters have put together some totals here and there. You can count one century so far in the series and a few half centuries, so it’s just about converting a few more of those starts into something really big,” Holder noted.
