West Indies skipper, Jason Holder has showered Jermaine Blackwood and Shannon Gabriel with praise following their victory over England on Sunday.
In the first Test where the Caribbean side won by four wickets, both players played an integral role. Blackwood scored a match defining 95 chasing 200 for victory while man of the match, Gabriel picked up nine wickets to keep England at bay.
Speaking at the virtual post match conference, Holder who also moved up to second in the Test bowling rankings credited both players for their role.
Blackwood fell just five short of his half-century and Holder reckoned he was just as heartbroken as the Jamaican batsman.
“I was probably just as disappointed as him when he got out but I guess that’s the way he plays, he sat on the sidelines waiting, I actually felt for him the last time he played a Test match was a concussion sub and in Kingston, Jamaica and fortunately for him he came in and gave effort. One thing about Jermaine is he is not shy of that effort, he is fearless and that’s something I can always tolerate,” he noted.
When asked if all the stars had aligned for Blackwood to be selected since middle order duo, Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo opted out of the tour which could have meant the Jamaican being relegated to the bench Holder said he was not sure.
However, while not dwelling on selection Holder explained “he had an outstanding first class competition I’m not going to get into selection but his case was pretty strong he scored a double hundred this year and unfortunate for me I haven’t been able to see him bat but his numbers speak for themselves… in comparison to players we’ve got he is still averaging above 30 so we just hope he could kick on and make a few more hundreds.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel who was initially on the reserve list after returning from injury also impressed the captain but this came as no surprise.
“What Shannon is done in this game is nothing surprising, Shannon is one of those guys who keeps doing it because he has a big heart and he has been through a lot and he wants success, his body hasn’t held up the way he would want in the past but to see him back out there fit and running in and bowling fast for the West Indies is always a pleasing site. He deserved every success he’s had so far in this game. For us it’s just about managing Shannon the best way we can, he is a rhythm bowler so he needs to get some miles on his legs,” Holder said.
