Terming cricket as a team sport is almost a misnomer, for it remains individualistic at its very core. Once the game begins, it becomes a personal duel between the batsman and the bowler while the fielders act as the supporting cast.
It is only natural then that the flashy performers with several centuries or wickets to their names are elevated to stardom by the fans. When enough time has passed, it is the Virat Kohlis and Steve Smiths whose names will be etched more deeply in the memories of cricket aficionados.
However, there are several players who fly under the radar despite playing their part for the team. They aren’t exactly the flashiest of players, though they end up chipping in with important contributions more often than not.
In this series, we look at some of these underrated and unheralded men whose contributions deserve more recognition than they currently get. West Indies’ Jason Holder is our man in focus below.
JASON HOLDER (Test stats)
Age: 28
Tests: 40
Runs: 1898
Batting Average: 32.72
Wickets: 106
Bowling Average: 26.37
Centuries: 3
Five-wicket Hauls: 6
Born in Barbados, Holder’s emergence for the West Indies has coincided with what has been a bleak period of decline for the Caribbean outfit.
A tall bowling all-rounder by trade, Holder was always a promising player with potential through his schoolboy days at St. Michael’s School in Bridgetown. The youngster had already made his first-class debut before he was awarded the prestigious Lord Gavron Award for the best youth cricketer in Barbados in 2009.
A year later, Holder represented West Indies in the ICC U19 World Cup in New Zealand and finished as the team’s leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps over the course of the campaign. An ODI debut at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) ground in Perth followed three years later, with the West Indies starlet claiming the wicket of Aaron Finch as his maiden dismissal. In 2014, he was handed a maiden Test cap against New Zealand at his home ground in Bridgetown and claimed the wickets of Ross Taylor and James Neesham in what turned out to be a defeat.
At just 23, Holder became the youngest player to captain the West Indies after being handed the ODI responsibilities ahead of the 2015 World Cup. In the same year, he was entrusted with skipper duties as well to become the second youngest Windies captain in the format.
In 2018 and in his 74th appearance in the format, the all-rounder became the quickest West Indies player to do the double of 1,000 ODI runs and 100 wickets.
STYLE
Holder’s soft-spoken and non-aggressive approach to the game sits in stark contrast to a towering figure who dwarfs most batsmen on a cricket pitch. As a bowler, Holder might not have the burning pace of former Windies greats such as Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. However, what he lacks in speed, he makes up with in discipline and perseverance.
It is the same approach he carries with the bat in hand as well. He might not be the most elegant of batsmen with picturesque strokes in his book, but he often puts West Indies’ top-order to shame despite identifying more as a bowling all-rounder.
It is rather unfortunate for a player of Holder’s calibre, that his peak has come at a time when Windies cricket looks a pale shadow of its former glory days, particularly in the Test format.
The captaincy role thrust upon him at such a young age is both a testament to Holder’s leadership qualities as well as an indictment of Windies’ sorry state of affairs at present.
Having been asked to lead a group of men lacking in both quality and experience, Holder has been entrusted with arguably the most difficult job in international cricket.
While the Caribbean Test side’s fortunes have suffered over the last few years, Holder has still managed to cover himself in glory with several one-man shows with both bat and ball.
It is the reason he is the No1 ranked ICC all-rounder in the Test format ahead of Ben Stokes, and also why he was the sole West Indies representative in the ICC Test XI of the Year in 2018.
His talismanic displays for what is a poor Windies side mean Holder’s credentials as an elite all-rounder are often overlooked by the cricket fraternity. There is no denying his quality though, and the Windies man is arguably good enough to walk in to any Test side in the world.
BEST DISPLAYS
103 vs England, 2015 (Antigua)
In what was only Holder’s fourth Test appearance for the West Indies, he played out a battling knock in the final innings to rescue a draw against England.
Centuries from Ian Bell and Garry Balance meant the hosts were set an improbable fourth innings target of 438 in Antigua. The writing seemed to be on the wall for Windies once they were reduced to 189-6 at lunch on the final day of the Test.
Walking in to bat at No8, Holder batted valiantly while putting on a century stand with wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin. James Anderson’s dismissal of Ramdin shortly after tea reignited England’s hopes of a win, but there was no getting past a determined Holder.
A maiden Test ton was just reward for Holder as West Indies held fort for a valuable draw.
110 vs Zimbabwe, 2017 (Bulawayo)
West Indies came into the second Test against Zimbabwe with a 1-0 lead in the two-match series and were in real danger of throwing it all away. Hamilton Masakadza’s 147 had helped the hosts post a challenging 326 in their first innings before Windies suffered a mini-collapse in their response.
The visitors were in real danger of squandering their series advantage at 230-7, with Holder joining wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich at the crease. The pair added 212 runs for the eighth wicket to push West Indies into a commanding lead. Both players also brought up their respective centuries, with Holder reaching triple figures for only the second time in his career.
The hosts ultimately held on for a draw after a fighting innings from Sikandar Raza.
4/19 and 5/41 vs Sri Lanka, 2018 (Bridgetown)
On a seaming track with plenty of movement on offer for the pacers, Holder put in one of his best bowling displays with the red ball. The all-rounder claimed four innings in the first innings as West Indies secured a vital first-innings lead of 50 runs.
Unfortunately, the hosts opened the doors for the Lankans once again after being bundled out for just 93 runs in their second innings. Holder gave the Windies hope by claiming five quick wickets, though his effort ultimately went in vain after Kusal Perera and Dilruwan Perera guided Sri Lanka to a thrilling four-wicket win.
Although he ended up on the losing side, his match-haul of nine wickets was enough to earn Holder the man-of-the-match award.
5/44 and 6/49 vs Bangladesh, 2018 (Sabina Park)
After his fine unbeaten knock of 33 helped West Indies post 354 in the first innings, Holder demolished Bangladesh with the ball in a sensational spell. The Windies skipper claimed five wickets in the visitors’ first innings, including the big scalps of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah.
Despite relinquishing a 205-run first innings lead, Bangladesh bounced back strongly in the Test by bowling out the hosts for a mere 129 in the second innings. Chasing a final innings target of 335, however, proved to be a bridge too for the Tigers as Holder reigned supreme with the ball once again.
The all-rounder made the decisive breakthroughs in a six-wicket haul, with Bangladesh crushed by 166 runs in an emphatic series win for the West Indies. It remains one of only two home Test series wins for the Caribbean side under Holder’s captaincy.
202 vs England, 2019 (Bridgetown)
West Indies’ only other home series win under Holder came a year later in a massive upset against England. As has become the norm, it was the Windies skipper who was in the thick of things for the hosts in the first Test.
A five-wicket haul by James Anderson saw Windies bowled out for 289 runs in the first innings in Bridgetown, before the visitors suffered an embarrassing collapse in reply. Playing on his home ground, Holder picked two wickets as England succumbed for just 77 runs in the first inning.
At 120-6 in the second innings, West Indies were not completely out of the woods as England rallied back strongly. Walking in at his customary No8 position, a magnificent Holder put them in cruise control with a thunderous knock of 202 off just 229 deliveries.
He shared an unbroken 295-run stand for the eighth wicket with Dowrich as England were set a mammoth target of 628 in Barbados. The hosts completed a thumping 381-run win eventually, with Holder playing yet another starring role in the following Test to secure a historic series win over England.
