Holder WI's new Test skipper

[Woodster]

West Indies have announced Jason Holder has now been installed as the Test captain following on from his appointment late last year as ODI skipper. It's a very brave move for me, a 23-year old inexperienced all-rounder leading the West Indies (or indeed any Test nation) is asking a hell of a lot. Holder has played just eight Test matches and I think should be allowed time to settle himself into Test cricket and find his feet at this standard. To try and do this while having to contend with everything that goes with being a Test captain is surely too much ?!

Everyone speaks highly of, not just Holder the cricketer, but Holder the person, a calm and mature persona perhaps defying his young years. Combine this with a cricketing intelligence and you can see why he has been catapulted into this position, but I'm struggling to see this working out well.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-west-indies-2015-16/content/story/917849.html

 

[Pothas]

The guy is a hero, had to happen really.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Stephen Fleming did it at the same age. Granted he was just a batsman though.

 

[kiwiviktor81]

From what I saw of the WI during the CWC I thought Holder was excellent. I think he'll be a good choice despite his age, like Fleming and Graeme Smith.

 

[Dan]

...am I alone in the fears of Darren Sammy 2.0? Solid all-round cricketer and top bloke who works his arse off for the team, isn't *quite* good enough to command a spot in the Top 7 batsmen or Top 4 bowlers, and gets utterly shafted when the board politics ruins another era on WI cricket?

 

[Niall]

...am I alone in the fears of Darren Sammy 2.0? Solid all-round cricketer and top bloke who works his arse off for the team, isn't *quite* good enough to command a spot in the Top 7 batsmen or Top 4 bowlers, and gets utterly shafted when the board politics ruins another era on WI cricket?

Have you watched the West Indies recently? Holder is more than capable of batting in the top seven of this side as he proved this Summer.

His bowling isn't world beating just yet, but very much doubt they are that many better fast bowlers than him in the West Indies? Taylor yeah, Roach is always injured so doesn't really count.

Holder could hold a place in this side as a specialist batsman quite easily, as a frontline bowler? Possibly.

And his current persona as an all round gun, heck yeah.

 

[Flem274*]

yeah they probably need someone passionate more than anything so good choice. i rate him as a bowling allrounder too. love me some sammy but holder should and hopefully will be better.

i do think he'll have a higher bowling average than people hope for though because the west indies can be an unkind place to run in and hit the deck hard at medium fast pace.

 

[Dan]

Have you watched the West Indies recently? Holder is more than capable of batting in the top seven of this side as he proved this Summer.

His bowling isn't world beating just yet, but very much doubt they are that many better fast bowlers than him in the West Indies? Taylor yeah, Roach is always injured so doesn't really count.

Holder could hold a place in this side as a specialist batsman quite easily, as a frontline bowler? Possibly.

And his current persona as an all round gun, heck yeah.

Yeah, he's certainly capable of batting in the top 7, but is he in the best six batsmen-who-aren't-keepers? I mean, absolute worst case scenario I'd Tastle him rather than leave him out, but I fear his neither-here-nor-there role will hurt him in the eyes of the selectors, especially if the Windies don't perform (i.e. like Sammy, a capable fifth bowler and #7ish batsman shafted because the team keeps losing). That said, he's a comfortably better batsman than Sammy.

I feel like he can go a bit Ben Stokes -- "well ****, he's an absolute all-round gun, but he ****s up team balance, what do we do?". And WI selectors being WI selectors, I have zero faith.

 

[Dan]

If they drop Ramdin entirely and get the gloves on whatshisname who debuted vs. Australia and looked alright (and can also bat top 6), he'll be fine. But if he's neither a 6 nor an 8 and 7 isn't available, I can see the Sammy issues recurring.

 

[Dan]

1. Brathwaite
2. AN Opener
3. Bravo
4. Blackwood
5. Hope
6. Dowrich +
7. Holder *
8. Taylor
9. Roach
10. Bishoo
11. S Pinner (preferably who can bat at 8)

 

[TheJammyTurtle]

LOL at Chancrika still being in the squad.

 

[Dan]

They have literally nobody else to open, though...

 

[TheJammyTurtle]

They have literally nobody else to open, though...

He ain't great,but surely Leon Johnson would have been a better bet?Im sure they have an opener somewhere who averages more then 24 domestically and actually knows what it's like to score a century in FC cricket.

 

[Dan]

yeah fair call, Johnson got shafted way too soon.

 

[NUFAN]

YEA DENESH TALK NAH.

 

[Woodster]

...am I alone in the fears of Darren Sammy 2.0? Solid all-round cricketer and top bloke who works his arse off for the team, isn't *quite* good enough to command a spot in the Top 7 batsmen or Top 4 bowlers, and gets utterly shafted when the board politics ruins another era on WI cricket?

Yes absolutely agree with this aswell, he's had a decent start but it wouldn't surprise me for the WI to find themselves in the same position where the captain cannot really justify his place in the side as either one of the four/five strongest bowlers in the Caribbean or one of the top six/seven batsmen. Suppose the difficulty is what other options they had though ?

 

[The Battlers Prince]

It's an exciting move, I feel differently to when Sammy was appointed. But it's probably because I get excited at a possible corner that West Indies are going around to reach old heights again. Then I remember it's WICB in charge still and it kills my excitement. I hope I'm wrong, I hope this is as great news for WI and by extension for World Cricket

 

[NUFAN]

I look at a different way to Dan and Woodster.

I feel as though Jason Holder is one of the 3 or 4 best bowlers, fielders and batsman in the team. The 23 year old will have series where he looks like a number 8 and will have series where he doesn't take many wickets, but that is quite common for an all rounder.

 

[The Battlers Prince]

That's true, and at this stage he's got the numbers to back that up. So it could be that captaincy sits well with him and his captaincy develops with him. He's the ODI skipper. It makes sense to install him as test captain too

 

[The Battlers Prince]

He's had a pretty good year at home too